The Atlanta Braves will surely be buying on the trade market to boost their World Series contention, but some Braves trade targets aren't worth it.
What do you do in MLB when you're already rich? Particularly when it comes to the trade deadline, you look to get richer. And while we're just over a month into the season, that's a position the Atlanta Braves will find themselves in come July.
After starting the year 24-11 entering a series against the Red Sox, the Braves have already built up a seven-game lead in the NL East. But this club isn't just looking to win its division again but, rather, to win the franchise's second World Series in the last three years. As such, they will surely be buying at the trade deadline.
We've seen general manager Alex Anthopolous work magic with trades for the likes of Jorge Soler, Matt Olson, Sean Murphy and more. Put simply, he's not in the business of making bad deals for the Braves. Having said that, they do need to be sure to target the right players — which means knowing which possible targets to avoid.
Taking that into account, these three possible Braves trade targets need to be avoided — but the last one would absolutely be worth the risk.
Braves rumors: Dylan Cease is a stud, but far too expensive for Atlanta's needs
Just a year ago, Dylan Cease finished the season second in AL Cy Young voting after breaking out as a certified ace for the Chicago White Sox. He still has that in him, without question. But for a White Sox team that has started 12-24 on the season, he might be the club's biggest trade asset to move on from if they look to start a pseudo rebuild.
Cease's numbers this year are not all that impressive right now as he's posted only a 5.58 ERA and 1.51 WHIP on the season. Moreover, despite having eight starts when the majority of the Chicago pitching staff has started a maximum of seven, he doesn't lead the team in strikeouts. But the 27-year-old is just one year removed from a 14-8 record with a 2.20 ERA and 1.11 WHIP while striking out 227 batters over 184 innings.
The Braves could very well look to bolster the pitching staff given injuries to Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Ian Anderson and more that have depleted the deepest part of the organization right now. Cease, however, is not the answer.
Even in the bad spot that the White Sox are in, they are going to demand a ton in return to trade for Dylan Cease. He's still under club control for a couple more seasons and, again, has proven to be a Cy Young candidate. The Braves need back-end depth in the rotation, not an ace. So paying the cost to get Cease simply would not be worth it in the long run.
Braves rumors: Aroldis Chapman is a home run the Braves don't need to hit
For as bad as the White Sox have been this season, they are still not last in the AL Central to begin the year thanks to the immense struggles of the Kansas City Royals.
Not that much was expected of the Royals this season, but the 10-26 start to the 2023 campaign is about as bad as it could be as only the Oakland A's have a worse record in Major League Baseball right now. Tough scene.
The only redeeming part of Kansas City's performance this season has been the stars of the bullpen, not the least of which has been closer Aroldis Chapman. The former Yankee signed a one-year deal with the Royals and has looked back in his completely dominant form this season.
In 14 appearances and over 12.2 innings pitched, Chapman has only allowed eight hits all season while striking out 20 and posting a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. He's not been perfect but, stuck on a bad team, he's been a clear star for this club and is arguably the biggest trade asset.
Amid a number of injuries in the Braves bullpen, that's another area that Anthopolous could look to improve. Chapman, however, is way too rich of an option. Atlanta already has a nice 1-2 punch at the back of the bullpen now that Raisel Iglesias is back and A.J. Minter is back in his set-up role. They need middle relievers and depth, not a star closer with no spot to fill — especially given what Chapman is likely to cost on the trade market.
Braves rumors: Dylan Carlson could work out, but doesn't offer sure help now
FanSided's own Mark Powell suggested that the Braves could look to get out from under the burden of Marcell Ozuna — even though he is showing signs of life in May — by also helping out the St. Louis Cardinals make their outfielder depth a little less crowded by looking to make a trade for Dylan Carlson.
It makes total sense why that would pop up as an option. Carlson is an immediate upgrade in left field (or anywhere in the outfield) from Ozuna and would also give more at the plate too, not that that would be asking a lot given how mightily we've seen Ozuna struggle throughout the year.
Though it makes sense on paper, though, if the Braves are going to try and plug the hole in left field at the trade deadline, then Dylan Carlson just isn't the answer for this club.
Carlson would make a ton of sense in so many situations, but Atlanta just isn't one of them. This season with St. Louis, he's slashing only .235/.283/.353. Those numbers are only slightly worse than what he did a season ago and 2021 (.266/.343/.437) has looked like an outlier to this point.
At just 24 years old, though, the belief remains that Carlson could continue to grow and become a stud. In fact, that might even be a smart bet. The Braves, however, should be looking for a win-now move if they try to trade for an upgrade over Ozuna in left field. As of right now, Carlson doesn't move the needle enough to make that type of investment in him.
Braves rumors: Brent Rooker is absolutely worth the risk for Atlanta
The numbers for Brent Rooker this season in Oakland are going wholly overlooked because, well, the A's are the worst team in baseball. But the left fielder and designated hitter has been legitimately one of the best hitters in the league to start the 2023 season.
Though 29 games this season for the Athletics, Rooker has been a monster, hitting .319 and leading all of baseball with a 1.122 OPS on the season. He's already hit 10 home runs with 26 RBI and has a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio of 27-19 to begin the year as well.
Given that Rooker plays the exact same position and split as Ozuna and hits on the right side of the plate, this would make a massive amount of sense for the Braves in terms of their need. At the same time, though, the risk is obvious because, at 28 years old, we've quite literally never seen this from Rooker. Hell, he's already set a career-high for homers in a season!
Atlanta trading with the A's once again to land Rooker would be betting that he can keep up a level of performance he's never shown before. That would be very much worth the risk, though.
Not only would Brent Rooker fill the obvious need on this roster, but because of his lack of track record playing at this level, the cost could be relatively modest. Moreover, Anthopolous and the Braves have a good trade relationship with the A's, so groundwork could be easy to lay.
It wouldn't be a surefire hit at the trade deadline but Rooker represents a risk well worth taking for a potential World Series contender.