Breaking down four Braves trade targets for each of the three biggest needs in Atlanta to hopefully secure another World Series win.
The Atlanta Braves just keep winning baseball games and it becomes more difficult with each victory to not think about the franchise winning its second World Series in the last three years. To do so, however, they have to be smart and show calculated aggression at the MLB Trade Deadline in order to fortify the roster for a playoff run.
Specifically, the Braves have three major needs that they could address via trade in the 2023 season. Atlanta could still use some shoring up of the outfield and designated hitter depth around Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario, the bullpen could stand to get an upgrade or — at the very least — get deeper, and they need a mid-rotation starter even once they get Max Fried and/or Kyle Wright back.
With still more than a month left until the trade deadline, the Braves still have plenty of time to sort out options. That being said, we're looking at four ideal early Braves trade targets that Alex Anthopoulos could pursue in order to address each of the club's biggest needs at midseason.
Braves Rumors: 4 trade targets to answer each of Atlanta's 3 biggest needs
Braves Trade Targets: Outfielders/DH
4. Adam Duvall, Boston Red Sox
A familiar face for the Cobb County faithful, Adam Duvall got off to a monster start for the Red Sox this season, slashing .483/.531/1.138 with 10 extra-base hits and 13 RBI in just 29 at-bats at the start of April. A wrist injury sidelined him for more than a month, though, and he's been slow coming back. In June, he has a measly .163/.268/.306 slash line.
Even still, Atlanta knows the pop that Duvall can provide in the lineup while also being serviceable in left field. Boston has a glut of depth in the outfield right now and could be willing to part with the veteran pretty comfortably.
3. Austin Hays or Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles aren't going to be sellers by any stretch at the deadline. However, there have been reports that we could see many trades between contenders and, perhaps, Baltimore could offer an outfielder to help their cause.
Austin Hays and Anthony Santander have two years and one year of club control left with the Orioles, respectively. Meanwhile, they're also both enjoying monster years with .866 and .835 OPS numbers, again respectively. Having said that, the O's have been getting younger by the day and one of the system's top prospects, Colton Cowser, appears ready to come up and take a spot in the outfield. That could make Hays or Santander a chip to move at the deadline for other, younger pieces, which is a selling point the Braves could definitely bite on for a bat of that caliber.
2. Randal Grichuk, Colorado Rockies
Whether the Rockies sell or not at the deadline, they should — but that was also the case a year ago when they elected to stand pat. Regardless, if they are more open to making some deals, the Braves have numerous players that would make sense for their specific needs, one of whom is Randal Grichuk.
The 31-year-old outfielder has been a consistently good hitter throughout his career, but has taken it up a notch this season with a .294/.360/.435 slash line with 16 doubles to his credit. More importantly, he's produced away from Coors Field with a solid .707 OPS on the road this year. In the final year of his contract, he's a rental the Rockies could look to sell off and who could be an asset on the Atlanta roster down the stretch.
1. Dylan Carlson, St. Louis Cardinals
Frankly, if the Cardinals don't hit the reset button this season, then it's malpractice by the front office. They are 13 games under .500 and 8.5 games back in a middling NL Central division race. They need to trade their assets, one of whom should be outfielder Dylan Carlson.
Widely regarded as a top prospect in baseball for some time, Carlson has flashed but never put it all together for a season. In 44 games this season, he's slashing .241/.323/.401, which is right around his career numbers over 3.5 years in the big leagues.
That being said, Carlson could be a prototype for a change-of-scenery candidate, especially at just 24 years old. The Braves need an outfielder and have some young pitching that they could dangle to entice St. Louis in a possible trade, allowing Atlanta to bank on helping Carlson reach his potential while, again, getting the outfield depth in a much better, younger spot moving forward.
Braves Trade Targets: Relief Pitchers
4. Jordan Hicks, St. Louis Cardinals
Particularly with the recent struggles of Raisel Iglesias, the Braves could be looking for another closer option or, at the very least, someone to aid Iglesias and AJ Minter at the back end of the bullpen. And if they want to really roll the dice to find that solution, then the selling Cards might have an answer with Jordan Hicks.
The flamethrowing righty has been a curious case in St. Louis with a ton of pop and sizzle but highly varying results as a reliever. With that said, his flashes remain extremely enticing and he's really settled in nicely of late with a 3.09 ERA over his last 11 appearances after a rough start. More importantly, though, if the Cardinals are looking to sell at the deadline, Hicks is a prime candidate on an expiring contract, which could make him relatively affordable for the Braves to pursue.
3. Kendall Graveman, Chicago White Sox
For Kendall Graveman, it's a similar situation to what Hicks could offer in terms of a flexible late-inning role in the bullpen. Having said that, he offers much more certainty than Hicks would given his level of performance.
The 32-year-old in Chicago has appeared in 34 games already this season and has performed beautifully with a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP to his credit. He's been consistent over the last four years as a reliable veteran arm coming out of the 'pen. Importantly, he's also got just one year after 2023 left on his contract, which makes now the perfect time for the White Sox, who are almost sure to sell at this point, to deal him. The Braves should be all in on that idea and, if the price tag isn't too crazy, he'd fit like a glove in the Atlanta bullpen.
2. Scott Barlow, Kansas City Royals
Sure, Aroldis Chapman is an option for Atlanta if they want to swing for the fences to address the need in the bullpen. But they don't necessarily have to eye that type of blockbuster name at the deadline, even on the Royals. That's because Scott Barlow would make sense in his own right.
The 30-year-old righty still has one year of arbitration left after this season but has proven to be a solid right-handed arm over his career. He does have a 3.90 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season, but posted ERAs of 2.42 and 2.18 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. That'll play for the Braves bullpen as another guy who could fill a number of roles in relief for the NL East leaders.
1. Daniel Bard, Colorado Rockies
Back to the Rockies, it'd be hard to find a better, perhaps more cost-effective option to upgrade the Braves bullpen than Daniel Bard.
The veteran reliever has allowed just four earned runs over 25.2 innings this season, posting a 1.40 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. He's also surprisingly been even better at Coors this season with a minuscule 0.73 ERA at home (though a 2.03 road ERA isn't too shabby either). He has one more year after 2023 left on his contract but, at 38 years old, he would make sense as someone Colorado wants to move off from in order to get younger overall while being a player who could fill a number of roles for Atlanta.
Braves Trade Targets: Starting Pitchers
4. Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox
My expectation is that the Lucas Giolito market will be one of the hottest at the MLB Trade Deadline this year. The 28-year-old is in the final year of his contract with the White Sox and could be a completely worthy No. 2 or No. 3 option for any contender, the Braves included. And that's why Atlanta needs to be sniffing around his market.
Giolito has been a stalwart on a bad team this season, posting a 3.41 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 16 starts on the year. He's proven that he can be a reliable spot in the rotation and, for the Braves, if the price is right, there is no reason they shouldn't be involved in the potential sweepstakes brewing for the righty.
3. Michael Lorenzen, Detroit Tigers
Michael Lorenzen is a much more budget-friendly option for the Braves on the trade market than a guy like Giolito or another player who we'll talk about shortly. He's 31 years old on a one-year deal in Detroit but, as the Tigers potentially sell high on Eduardo Rodriguez, Lorenzen is the value-bin option that could be perfect for what Atlanta needs in the middle of the rotation.
Over 13 starts, Lorenzen has posted a 3.97 ERA and 1.16 WHIP for Detroit this season. He's not perfect by any means but, putting him on the bump with the protection of the Braves lineup behind him could be exactly what the club needs. He's pitched well enough to consistently get wins if his team is producing runs and the price on the trade market makes complete sense for Atlanta as well.
2. Kyle Freeland, Colorado Rockies
Kyle Freeland would be a sneaky expensive option for the Braves to target in a trade after the Rockies just recently signed him to a five-year, $64.5 million extension that has him under full control until 2027 when there is a vested option. Having said that, at 30 years old, he might present the biggest potential return for Colorado.
That's a risky proposition for Atlanta, to be sure, because they would have to give up more assets than normal. Having said that, Freeland, even pitching his home games at Coors for his entire career, has a career 4.29 ERA and 1.41 WHIP and has just one season with an ERA over 4.55 over seven years at the major-league level. Putting him behind Fried and Strider in the Braves rotation could be exactly what the doctor ordered to sort out the pitching staff for the rest of 2023 and, more importantly, moving forward.
1. Jack Flaherty or Jordan Montgomery, St. Louis Cardinals
Like Hicks as a target to help with the bullpen, the Cardinals also have two starters on expiring contracts who could bring back a nice return for St. Louis to better set them up for the future after this dismal season for the franchise: Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery.
Montgomery, who is sporting a solid 3.69 ERA and 1.29 WHIP this season, is likely the more expensive of the two options. Having said that, the possibility of adding another lefty to the rotation could be intriguing for the Braves to give them more diversity in that capacity throughout the rotation once Fried is back as the only southpaw in the top five.
As for Flaherty, there is more variance with his performance, but his best moments have been impressive enough for Atlanta to be intrigued. His 4.95 ERA and 1.60 WHIP aren't going to wow you, but that could lower the potential trade cost and, as such, make him a worthwhile gamble for Anthopoulos and the franchise to take in a trade.