The Atlanta Braves have plenty of decisions to make at the trade deadline. But as we enter late June, two players have played their way off the block, while others have more work to do.
The Braves are in first place in the NL East by a decent margin, and as of this writing, don't have much to worry about in terms of securing a postseason spot. If anything, that was the bare minimum expectation of this team by Alex Anthopoulos and the front office entering spring training.
Now that we know what the final product of this team should look like — frankly, they are one or two pieces away from being the clear NL favorite — there's little excuse for Anthopoulos and Co. not to add at the trade deadline.
Adding players is easier said than done, though. Trades for well-established MLB players typically require assets, something Atlanta doesn't have much of that they'd be willing to deal away. After respective deals for Matt Olson and Sean Murphy in back-to-back offseasons, the Braves cupboard is a little bare.
With that in mind, who will (and won't) Anthopoulos consider parting ways with at this deadline?
Braves off the trade block: Marcell Ozuna
Yes, I am the same writer who suggested the Braves trade Ozuna a few months ago. Heck, we all wanted him off the roster. Ozuna has off-field issues, and if he's not hitting the cover off the ball, then what's the point of employing him at all?
Yet, Anthopoulos and Brian Snitker always had patience with Ozuna. Sure, they issued a few warning shots, but by no means were they about to part ways with the power potential of Ozuna. He can change the game in one at-bat, and has done so several times this season already.
Ozuna's batting average is up to .241 — a far cry from his early-season mark below the Mendoza line. He offers a strong on-base and slugging percentage, to boot, and has 13 home runs on the season.
Given his contract, Ozuna is here to stay, and will likely be a big part of the Braves next postseason run, for better or worse.
Braves off the block: A.J. Smith-Shawver
Atlanta doesn't have much to offer in terms of top prospects, that much is certain. But the Braves do a very good job at identifying talent at all levels. A.J. Smith-Shawver is a classic example.
Smith-Shawver was a seventh-round pick, and is only 20 years old playing in meaningful big-league games for a contending team. What did everyone else miss?
Smith-Shawver can serves as a long-relief pitcher or a starter. For now, he's being called upon in the rotation given the injuries to Max Fried and Kyle Wright. When those two return, however, he should not be sent back down to the minors if he's still pitching this well. Smith-Shawver starts another game on Wednesday, but for now he has an ERA just north of two.
The scariest part of Smith-Shawver's performance so far in the majors is that he thinks this is normal.
"I don't think the feeling I had out there was normal comparatively to anywhere I pitched in the Minors," said Smith-Shawver after his first career start. "I think I started settling in during the second inning."
I cannot express enough how out of the ordinary Smith-Shawver's adjustment to the bigs has been. He can't legally order a drink yet. The last Braves pitcher to rise through the system like this was…Max Fried. Yeah, this kid is special, and shouldn't be anywhere near the trade block.
Braves still on the block: Vaughn Grissom
Before the season, Vaughn Grissom was tabbed by pundits as the next Atlanta shortstop after they let Dansby Swanson walk in free agency. Grissom spent all offseason working out with Ron Washington. It all seemed set in stone, but baseball is weird sometimes.
Grissom lost out on the starting job to Orlando Arcia in spring training. Arcia has been excellent in his steed, and may very well make the NL All-Star team as a result. What does this mean for Grissom? FanSided's Scott Rogust touched on this subject Wednesday:
"On Tuesday night, Grissom went 2-for-5 at the plate with one double and two runs batted in in the Stripers' 6-2 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. This continues a strong June for Grissom, as he recorded a .324 batting average, a .338 on-base percentage, a .451 slugging percentage, 11 runs scored, 13 RBI, and 23 hits in 17 games.
On the year, Grissom is slashing .314/.380/.466 while recording two home runs, 25 RBI, 34 runs scored, and 60 hits. Yeah, Grissom is doing just fine. Now, it will be a matter of when he gets his next shot in the majors."
As Rogust notes, Grissom is putting up strong numbers in the minors, which should only increase his trade value if Atlanta wants to upgrade in a major way at the deadline.
But is that the right move with a multifaceted player like Grissom? When he's on, his bat is scary good. Perhaps the Braves would be better served holding onto the young player for now and finding a spot for him next season.