Braves Rumors: Collin McHugh could be left off playoff roster

The only thing that the Atlanta Braves have left to play for in terms of the playoffs is whether or not they can clinch home-field advantage throughout the NL postseason. Sure, mathematically, they have not locked up a playoff berth or the NL East officially, but with a 12.5-game division lead, that's all but inevitable.

That also means that tough decisions for paring down the playoff roster are looming. And in the interest of taking the right guys on the hopeful path to the World Series, one veteran bullpen arm is trending toward being a shocking omission from the postseason: Collin McHugh.

McHugh is sitting at the end of August with a 3.88 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 40 appearances this season, but has gotten worse as the year's gone on with a 5.79 ERA in July and a 7.20 ERA over his last three outings. This, to be fair, was somewhat expected given that, despite having better numbers, his xERA was above 5.00 in June.

But the unreliability from McHugh, as highlighted by Sam Peebles of Battery Power, could lead to the veteran righty getting left off of the playoff roster. As Peebles broke down, McHugh has not adjusted with his sweeper despite the pitch's ineffectiveness overall this season. Moreover, the totality of the situation has resulted in him having the worst strikeout and walk rates of his career.

Perhaps manager Brian Snitker would still value the moxie and experience of McHugh. But playoff baseball is so often about versatility or an elite skill set. Right now, McHugh offers neither to the Braves bullpen, which could ultimately lead to them exploring other options for relievers in the postseason.

Braves Rumors: Jordan Montgomery, Josh Hader named top free agency targets

Let's start with the fact that Braves roster-building guru Alex Anthopoulos has not yet paid top-dollar in free agency to acquire talent. Yes, he's traded away assets within the organization's system in big moves for the likes of Matt Olson and Sean Murphy, but he's let the likes of Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson walk while also not all-out pursuing star talent.

Having said that, the upcoming 2023-24 MLB free agent class offers a number of the top players set to hit the market who would make sense for the Braves purely from a roster construction standpoint. But who are the top guys in the upcoming free agent class that should intrigue Atlanta?

Chase Irle of SportsTalkATL four of MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand's top 10 free agents for the upcoming offseason that could be possible fits for the Braves. But the two that stood out were current Padres closer Josh Hader and Rangers lefty starter Jordan Montgomery.

I've spoken previously on Hader and Irle reiterated many of those points. Atlanta doesn't necessarily need to upgrade the bullpen -- but if they did, making an all-out blitz for a top closer in baseball like Hader would be the way to do so. It would create a wholly dominant unit with Hader, A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias on the back end, especially when combined with the potent Braves lineup. Even better, even as a top-of-market reliever, he'll come cheaper than any high-end starter would.

But in the case of Montgomery, the case is more interesting. Traded from the Cardinals to the Rangers at the deadline, the lefty has been reliably great for the past two seasons since joining St. Louis from the Yankees, also in a trade. He won't cost the same level of money as someone like an Eduardo Rodriguez, who was also mentioned by Irle as a consideration, but could be a viable replacement for Charlie Morton should the veteran opt for retirement.

Again, there's no guarantee that Anthopoulos and the Braves would even be interested in big spending this offseason, particularly as they try to navigate a Max Fried extension negotiation. But if they were to, it's hard to find better options than Montgomery and Hader.

Braves Rumors: Would Josh Donaldson reunion make sense after being waived?

Amid the commotion and calamity with the New York Yankees amid a disappointing 2023 campaign, former MVP and former Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson was released by New York earlier this week after having spent a long period of time on the 60-day IL despite there being no concrete injury to speak of for the lightning rod infielder.

This all led to Lindsay Crosby of Braves Today wondering if the Braves would consider a possible stretch-run reunion with Donaldson.

There are two obvious factors to consider with Donaldson, who hit 37 homers with the Braves in the 2019 season. For one, he's been bad even when not on the IL this season with a .142/.225/.434 slash line over 120 plate appearances. The other is that Atlanta obviously doesn't have a pressing need at third base with Austin Riley cemented as the everyday guy at the position.

That latter part is perhaps the most crucial aspect of the situation, though. While the Braves could sign him prior to Sept. 1 to make him eligible for the postseason roster, there isn't any playing time for Donaldson on this roster with Riley and Matt Olson occupying really the only two positions he could play and with the DH rotation already a bit crowded with the current roster. That was Crosby's conclusion to the situation as well.

Even still, it's a worthy consideration given Donaldson's previous production at an MVP level and his familiarity with Atlanta. All told, though, a reunion isn't something that anyone should be holding their breath for.