The Braves haven't made a splash at the MLB trade deadline yet, but any of these three last-minute trades would confirm Atlanta as World Series favorites.
It's MLB trade deadline eve and, with just about 24 hours until every franchise must put their pencils down and turn in their tests trades, the Atlanta Braves, the team that still holds the best record in baseball by four game and with the best World Series odds by a pretty wide margin, have not made many moves.
Alex Anthopoulos took a gamble on Pierce Johnson and Taylor Hearn to help the bullpen, but the latter was then flipped for utility infielder Nicky Lopez in a trade this past weekend. Outside of that, it's been quiet out of Cobb County.
That could change with some last-minute deadline trade for the Braves, though. MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported that Atlanta is one of the teams in the mix for a starting pitcher, though he noted there are many others and that has raised the price in that market. Meanwhile, insider Jon Heyman also reported that the club remains active looking for bullpen help too.
Atlanta has been connected to the Justin Verlander trade market while Heyman noted that "if any team" could work magic to trade for Josh Hader or David Bednar, it would be the Braves. However, with the likely price of those relievers and the Padres and Pirates both unwilling to budge as of now, that appears unlikely.
With that said, to affirm their position as World Series favorites, the Braves have trades they need to make. And any of these three trades would be massive in helping Atlanta get to that point if they can pull off some last-minute magic at the deadline.
Braves Rumors: 3 last-minute trades before deadline to win the World Series
3. Braves trade for Mets reliever Brooks Raley at the deadline
Trading with the rival Mets could be extremely fruitful for the Braves. Much to the chagrin of fans who want the club to go after the biggest possible fish still on the pond at the trade deadline in Verlander, though, it's actually bullpen help that Atlanta could acquire from their NL East foes.
Admittedly, David Robertson would've been a great option but, now that he's already been dealt to another divisional opponent in the Marlins, that could increase the urgency to go after a player like Brooks Raley for the Braves.
Raley has been rock-solid in the New York bullpen this season, accruing a 2.37 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 46 appearances. The big worry would be that he does have a 3.94 FIP and 3.31 xERA on the season, indicating that he's gotten a bit lucky with his lower numbers for the Mets.
Having said that, the 35-year-old posted a sub-2.70 ER and 0.87 WHIP last season with Tampa Bay, indicating that he has the goods to be an effective late-inning option. That's exactly what the Braves need in their bullpen too given the inconsistency of Raisel Iglesias and recent injury to A.J. Minter as well.
The cost should be relatively modest for Raley, even with teams like the Twins and Dodgers reportedly in the mix to trade for him as well. So if Atlanta truly wants to upgrade the bullpen, this would be a great spot to accomplish that.
2. Braves trade for rotation help by landing Cardinals RHP Jack Flaherty
One of the biggest names still undoubtedly available at the trade deadline is Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty. Both he and Jordan Montgomery are on expiring contracts and, with St. Louis retooling for the 2024 season amid a dismal 2023 campaign, they were always likely to be dealt.
Montgomery is now on the Rangers after being moved with relief pitcher Chris Stratton for a pair of Top 20 prospects in Texas' system. Flaherty, who has been far more inconsistent this season and in recent years as well, will likely still be expensive in this pitching market at the deadline, but should come at a slightly less cost than Montgomery did for the Rangers.
It's truly been an up-and-down type of 2023 seaon for Flaherty, resulting in a 4.43 ERA and 1.55 WHIP on the season over 20 starts for the 27-year-old hurler. He could, however, be getting hot at the right time, which could benefit the Braves as a rental option to add at the trade deadline. In five starts in July, Flaherty posted a 3.03 ERA and 1.42 WHIP while accruing a 3-1 record for the Cardinals.
What could be interesting for the Braves is to package some of their highest-valued prospects like Vaughn Grissom, Jared Shuster and others to try and move St. Louis not just to move Flaherty to Atlanta, but perhaps package players like Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson or another of the glut of outfield depth the Cards have in order to bolster that part of the Atlanta lineup as well.
Given the cost of just Flaherty and the Cardinals' eagerness to trade for MLB-ready talent to help compete in 2024, the Braves might be a perfect trade partner in order to address their own pressing need as well.
1. Braves trade for best rotation upgrade with Tigers LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
It's going to cost a ton, but the Atlanta Braves trading for Tigers southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez would be an absolute power move from Alex Anthopoulos.
As MLB Network's Jon Morosi noted, the Tigers and Braves have a good relationship between the front offices, including making a deal this past December that involved veteran releiver Joe Jiminez coming to Atlanta. As such, Morosi called another deal between these two clubs a storyline to watch before Tuesday's deadline.
Though E-Rod missed some time earlier in the season due to injury, the veteran lefty has still made 15 starts for Detroit this year and has been a bonafide ace, putting up a 2.95 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP on the year. With a series of complicated outs and options over the next few years, though, the Tigers are motivated to move him. And as Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted, it's not a matter of if they trade Rodriguez, but when.
The price tag would be substantial, as Nightengale also reported that Detroit is simply waiting for other teams to budge on the Tigers' high asking price in a trade for Rodriguez. With that said, it could be worth it for the Braves to acquire a top-end starter to add to the rotation, another lefty for their mix of starters to pair with Max Fried in that regard, and a player who could potentially be around beyond just the end of this season as well.
Rodriguez has been a legitimate ace this season and adding that to the Braves cast of starting pitchers alongside a soon-returning Fried, Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder and Charlie Morton would be a nightmare for any team hoping to get past Atlanta in the postseason.