The Atlanta Braves ultimately were quiet at the MLB trade deadline, but Alex Anthopoulos could end up regretting not trading for these players.
The MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone and, for the most part, the Atlanta Braves were quiet. When the dust all settled the three players that Alex Anthopoulos added to the World Series favorites' roster were RP Pierce Johnson, IF Nicky Lopez and veteran RP Brad Hand.
Make no mistake, Lopez and Hand could be valuable for the Braves. The former gives them an upgraded depth option of Charlie Culberson (who was DFA'd after that trade with the Royals). Meanwhile, Hand gives Atlanta another experienced and quality lefty out of the bullpen to help ease the load on A.J. Minter. He's also been a specialist against left-handers this season as well.
Having said that, it's quite easy to look at the trade deadline after it's passed and think about the trades that could've been made. For the Braves and with the players like Max Fried they have returning soon, they should still be more than fine. There is a chance, however, that Anthopoulos not making these Braves trades ahead of the deadline this season to help take a leading contender to another level.
Braves Rumors: 3 trades Alex Anthopoulos will regret not making at deadline
3. New York Mets RP Brooks Raley
Considering that it felt like the New York Mets traded the entirety of their 40-man roster at the deadline, most notably cutting ties with former Cy Young winners in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, it might shock some people to learn that 35-year-old reliever Brooks Raley actually wasn't moved by Tuesday's deadline.
Given that two-thirds of the moves that the Braves made before the trade deadline were to add depth to the bullpen, it's hard to believe that they didn't sniff around with their NL East rivals about the possibility of a Raley trade. After all, the right-hander has posted a 2.37 ERA and 1.24 WHIP on the season over 46 appearances. That's an arm that can provide high-end depth to any bullpen.
The Mets did make out well — as you'd hope any organization with a brain would — in the Verlander and Scherzer deals. But the fact of the matter is that there is a much more reasonable price tag on a 35-year-old relief pitcher on an expiring contract, which is the case with Raley. It's an arena the Braves could've comfortably competed in.
Instead, their upgrade in terms of right-hander relievers was to add Johnson, who is more of a reclamation project or a gamble than a surefire way to help the bullpen. Subsequently, Raley is going to be pitching for a team miles away from contention. And while that may give Braves fans a chuckle given that it's the Mets, if Atlanta has any depth tested in the bullpen, Raley could've helped that in a major way.
2. St. Louis Cardinals RP Jordan Hicks
Going back to the Braves addressing the bullpen at the trade deadline, it always made sense for Atlanta to take a gamble where they could. Anthopoulos, in fact, did that in trading for Pierce Johnson and Taylor Hearn, the latter of whom was quickly flipped after one appearance to acquire Nicky Lopez.
If they were going to take a roll of the dice in trading for a reliever, though, it feels like a missed opportunity to not take advantage of the Cardinals fire sale and see if they can capitalize on the obvious talent of someone like Jordan Hicks.
Hicks, who was ultimately traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for the club's seventh-best prospect and an unranked prospect as well, can hit 104 mph on the radar gun, which is obviously his trump card on the mound. His issue has been with control in his young career, that and consistency.
With that being said, he was still sought-after as one of the top available relievers at the deadline because of the flamethrower connected at his right shoulder. If a team can harness that talent over the final two months of the season, he could be a bonafide shutdown option out of the reliever. It doesn't matter who is at the plate, hitting that type of velocity is always a difficult task.
This would've been a costly move for the Braves but, again, if this is a team that clearly recognized a need in terms of its depth of relievers, then not getting one of the most talented players on the trade block could sting if that becomes an issue late in the year and in the postseason.
1. Detroit Tigers SP Eduardo Rodriguez
Much to the chagrin of the Los Angeles Dodgers — and to Detroit Tigers fans as well — veteran starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was not moved at the trade deadline. After the deal with the Dodgers was blocked by E-Rod and his no-trade clause, though, the Braves should've capitalized on the moment.
Understanding that Anthopoulos and the Braves organization appears to feel confident that Max Fried and Kyle Wright will return this season — Fried much sooner than Wright — it's also understandable that Atlanta didn't want to overextend themselves in giving up prospects for a rental option with Rodriguez.
At the same time, though, there is no certainty that Wright returns or, when he does, that he'll be the same 20-game-winning caliber of player we saw last season. And we've already seen the depth of the Braves starting rotation be tested this season with those injuries. On top of that too, Fried is the only lefty arm in the rotation for the rest of the year now.
Rodriguez has not only been great this season over his 15 starts (2.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP), but he's a veteran with World Series experience from his time in Boston. This would've been the perfect cog to add to the rotation to help take the Braves over the top in terms of their starting pitching depth. In fact, it's the exact type of trade that, if a club like Atlanta is going to spend big with limited resources, should be made by a contender.
It would've also sufficed to go after another Tigers starter, one Michael Lorenzen, who ended up being traded to the Phillies. Though the price would've been high for either (and was for Lorenzen), it could've been worth it given Atlanta's search to add one more piece to the rotation.