Looking through Braves colored glasses, the team seemingly had no holes coming into the 2020 season with the only question mark being the battle for 3rd base which looked really promising in both ST 1.0 and 2.0. However, a lot has change, and I expect an active Braves Trade Deadline, because…

And yet, this team’s resilience is more present than it’s ever been and fresh off a double header sweep that featured MLB’s best pitcher and his wingman. It doesn’t seem possible that the Braves are 18-12 with the hardest part of the schedule behind them, yet they are…and there’s a trade deadline looming ahead that could be a serious buyer’s market. Is this the year? It very well could be.

Searching for the Sellers

With 16 teams making the playoffs in 2020, the buyers will outweigh the sellers this year. However, lack of incoming $ might make it easier for buyers to convince sellers to get rid of their more expensive players and replace them with cost-controlled players. I did some digging earlier on Fangraphs and came up with 9 teams that have a 15% chance or less of making the 2020 playoffs. To make a solid 10, I’m going to add a team of my own to the bottom.

I’m making an assumption here and that is that the Braves might be interested in 3 types of players:

  1. Starting Pitcher
  2. Third Baseman
  3. LH Bench/DH Bat

I’ll also make an assumption that the Braves aren’t going to be buying low and they’ll be looking for players that are performing, or at least have positive underlying stats. Let’s get digging.

Red Sox

Orioles

Tigers

  • Starting Pitcher- Daniel Norris
  • Third Baseman- N/A
  • LH Bench/DH Bat– N/A

Royals

  • Starting Pitcher- Danny Duffy
  • Third Baseman- N/A
  • LH Bench/DH Bat– N/A

Angels

Rangers

Mariners

Pirates

  • Starting Pitcher- N/A
  • Third Baseman- Colin Moran
  • LH Bench/DH Bat-N/A

Diamondbacks

  • Starting Pitcher- Robbie Ray
  • Third Baseman- N/A
  • LH Bench/DH Bat-N/A

Reds

Best Matchups with Teams

Mariners- We’ve talked all along about this matchup and Kyle Seager fills a lot of needs as he can check off 2 boxes (3B and LH DH bat). If Braves can get him and still let Austin Riley start over there 2-3 times/week, that’s a win for the club. I also think that the Mariners would be willing to take back Ender Inciarte to balance the $ if the Braves could throw in another pitcher, which they definitely should do at this moment.

Reds- Trevor Bauer makes a lot of sense if the Braves are looking for a 1 year rental, but my eyes are set on Luis Castillo, who’s under control through 2023. The Reds have liked Braves pitching in the past and maybe they’d like 2-3 projects. Jesse Winker also makes sense as a LH bench bat that could DH and play OF (Adam Duvall‘s counterpart).

Red Sox- While I don’t think the Red Sox would sell low on Rafael Devers, both Martin Perez and Mitch Moreland make sense for the Braves in 2020. Perez isn’t that high profile starter the Braves should be searching for, but he can keep the team in the game and does have a reasonable option for 2021. Moreland also comes with an option for 2021 and could be valuable if the DH is here to stay. I won’t deny that if the Braves get Perez, I hope there’s something up their sleeve to grab another starter.

Rangers- It’s been discussed all over the internet, but the Rangers could be the Braves one stop shop should they want to be. Choo could slot in as the DH against RHP, Lance Lynn could slot in behind Max Fried, and even Mike Minor could be used in the back end of the rotation. What’s more likely is the Braves grab Lynn by himself and send over a few young pitchers.

I think one thing is almost a definite, the Braves will be active at the trade deadline. I also think that teams aren’t going to want to take on money for 2020, so balancing out contracts and adding players to pay for the difference in value will likely happen. Luckily, the Braves have plenty of pitchers they can package in trades.

Thanks for reading. If you’re looking for who might be playing for other teams soon, look no further than our prospects list, which can be found here.