<img alt="St. Louis Cardinals v Atlanta Braves - Game Two" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MBAeb1xHvEJW76c-wXIakUb-j0E=/0x0:4691x3127/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73474827/2162222984.0.jpg">
Injuries and ineffectiveness have pushed the Braves to the brink of desperation in terms of needing outfield help. (Editor’s note: In the past, we have run Trade Deadline series focused on specific targets. However, as we all know at this point, we could run 35 pieces identifying potential acquisitions, and the Braves would somehow manage to acquire four players outside of that set of 35. So, we’re doing things a bit differently this year, focusing on why they might or might not make a move at the Trade Deadline, rather than emphasizing whom they might acquire.)
Why the Braves need help in the outfield
What started out as potentially the strength of the team has quickly, through both injuries and ineffectiveness, turned into to probably the number one need Alex Anthopoulos needs to address this month.
Things went off the rails early, when reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the ACL in his left knee running the bases in Pittsburgh. Though expected to make a full recovery, he is obviously out for the season and his absence leaves a gaping hole in right field.
After Acuña got hurt, the three main guys left to fill the void were Michael Harris II, Jared Kelenic, and Adam Duvall, all three of whom were going to see everyday playing time. Had things stopped there, the Braves probably would've been fine.
Unfortunately, not too long after that, Harris suffered a grade 2 hamstring strain, a tough injury for any player but especially a center fielder whose legs provide a ton of his value. He is very slowly making his way back but as of this article, has yet to start any sort of rehab assignment. Add that injury to Acuña’s injury, and then add in that Adam Duvall has a 58 wRC+ at the plate this season, and it should be easy to see where the need comes in. When you throw in the fact that Eddie Rosario recently hit sixth for this team and was released by one of the few teams that’s already decided to sell this season, there’s an issue for sure.
Are there internal options that make sense in lieu of a trade?
The Braves certainly don't have the greatest farm system in the world, but of the few high quality prospects they have, none of them are outfielders. (At least none that are anywhere close to the majors.) So any potential quality prospect option is right out.
What the Braves do have is an assortment of fourth and fifth outfielder types that can play in spurts to try and generate some kind of offense. The names here include Ramon Laureano, Forrest Wall, Luke Williams, Eli White, J.P. Martinez, and of course, Eddie Rosario, who was just signed after being released by Washington. These are the ‘internal options.”
For a team trying to win a World Series, that's a tough group to depend on for anything.
Any reasons not to seek a trade to bolster the outfield?
Harris coming back relatively soon probably justifies pursuing only one high quality outfielder, but that's as far as any reasoning should take you. The Braves need more talent standing in the grass than they currently have on their major league team, or anywhere in the minors. That means they need to add more talent there. It’s really that simple. As abundant and relatively cheap as outfielders are to acquire, there's no reason the Braves shouldn't at least be pursuing upgrades with the goal of grabbing at least one more guy.
Even with Harris coming back, there's probably an argument for acquiring more than one outfielder given how poorly most of their “depth” has played and how scary a severe hamstring injury can be for a center fielder. Harris wasn't exactly having a stand-out season before he got hurt either, which adds further to the argument.
It does need to be said that Atlanta does have three outfielders under team control for 2025, plus a club option on Marcell Ozuna. So with any player acquired who isn't a rental, some things are going to have to be figured out. But that isn't a big enough obstacle to prevent upgrades from being made. You figure that out in the winter.
Okay, so if they’re going to try to trade for someone, whom might they get?
Where the problem with acquiring shortstops is there are just none available and none to list, the exact opposite is the problem with outfielders. There are too many to list. On top of that, the extra Wild Card spot in each league has watered down the word “contender” to the point that even sub-.500 teams can claim they're still “in it.”
This, of course, muddies the waters in identifying buyers from sellers, which makes putting any sort of reasonable list together even tougher. But there are a few names we can comfortably list as available.
Taylor Ward of the Angels is probably one the leading candidates. He's hit 14 HRs this season while posting an excellent .354 xwOBA and double-digit walk rate.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. from Miami would bring athleticism and stolen bases back to the lineup with decent pop and defensive versatility in the outfield and infield.
Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox is the home run addition, capable of being the highest-impact player on the list. He brings huge power, solid defense, multiple years of control and a very high prospect cost. He does come with an injury history and lots and lots of strikeouts.
Brent Rooker of the Athletics may be the safest bat on the market with the monster season he’s having in 2024. But he’s actually a DH and most teams are pretty sure sticking him in the outfield full-time is a disaster waiting to happen. And the Braves already have a full-time DH.
Jesse Winker of the Nationals hits all the boxes, it would seem. A rental, a lefty hitter, with big OBP numbers and solid all-around production. The problem for Winker has been multiple clubhouse issues with multiple teams that Anthopoulos may stay away from entirely.
Randy Arozarena with the Rays is a fascinating name. He had a miserable April but has been awesome since, with multiple years of team control and huge playoff pedigree. But are the Rays selling him? Are they selling at all? It would surprise no one either way.
Tommy Pham of the White Sox is another interesting name. Has a strong .338 wxOBA this season with a nine percent walk rate, but very bad defense and another guy who’s made some enemies in different clubhouses through the years.
Lane Thomas of the Nationals is lower down the list but deserves consideration. He destroys lefty pitching and is on pace to steal 40 bases this year. The problem is he really struggles against righty pitching and isn't going to win any Gold Gloves in the outfield.
And there's even more names on teams we aren't sure are selling. If the Cubs fall completely off the mountain the next seven days, do they move Ian Happ or Cody Bellinger? Same question with the Giants and Michael Conforto? Gavin Sheets is a name, Kevin Pillar is a name, Miguel Andujar is out there, Detroit has some interesting names, the Reds could probably trade an outfielder, Miami has multiple guys, what does Texas do, and on and on and on. Hell, Kris Bryant is about to be activated by Colorado, how much of that stupid contract would they eat? Would Oakland entertain JJ Bleday?
There are so many names and so many possibilities, including more than a few that weren't mentioned here at all. Anthopoulos will have plenty of options to wade through. Where he lands and how many names he lands on is going to be fascinating part.
<img alt="St. Louis Cardinals v Atlanta Braves - Game Two" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MBAeb1xHvEJW76c-wXIakUb-j0E=/0x0:4691x3127/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73474827/2162222984.0.jpg">
Injuries and ineffectiveness have pushed the Braves to the brink of desperation in terms of needing outfield help. (Editor’s note: In the past, we have run Trade Deadline series focused on specific targets. However, as we all know at this point, we could run 35 pieces identifying potential acquisitions, and the Braves would somehow manage to acquire four players outside of that set of 35. So, we’re doing things a bit differently this year, focusing on why they might or might not make a move at the Trade Deadline, rather than emphasizing whom they might acquire.)
Why the Braves need help in the outfield
What started out as potentially the strength of the team has quickly, through both injuries and ineffectiveness, turned into to probably the number one need Alex Anthopoulos needs to address this month.
Things went off the rails early, when reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the ACL in his left knee running the bases in Pittsburgh. Though expected to make a full recovery, he is obviously out for the season and his absence leaves a gaping hole in right field.
After Acuña got hurt, the three main guys left to fill the void were Michael Harris II, Jared Kelenic, and Adam Duvall, all three of whom were going to see everyday playing time. Had things stopped there, the Braves probably would've been fine.
Unfortunately, not too long after that, Harris suffered a grade 2 hamstring strain, a tough injury for any player but especially a center fielder whose legs provide a ton of his value. He is very slowly making his way back but as of this article, has yet to start any sort of rehab assignment. Add that injury to Acuña’s injury, and then add in that Adam Duvall has a 58 wRC+ at the plate this season, and it should be easy to see where the need comes in. When you throw in the fact that Eddie Rosario recently hit sixth for this team and was released by one of the few teams that’s already decided to sell this season, there’s an issue for sure.
Are there internal options that make sense in lieu of a trade?
The Braves certainly don't have the greatest farm system in the world, but of the few high quality prospects they have, none of them are outfielders. (At least none that are anywhere close to the majors.) So any potential quality prospect option is right out.
What the Braves do have is an assortment of fourth and fifth outfielder types that can play in spurts to try and generate some kind of offense. The names here include Ramon Laureano, Forrest Wall, Luke Williams, Eli White, J.P. Martinez, and of course, Eddie Rosario, who was just signed after being released by Washington. These are the ‘internal options.”
For a team trying to win a World Series, that's a tough group to depend on for anything.
Any reasons not to seek a trade to bolster the outfield?
Harris coming back relatively soon probably justifies pursuing only one high quality outfielder, but that's as far as any reasoning should take you. The Braves need more talent standing in the grass than they currently have on their major league team, or anywhere in the minors. That means they need to add more talent there. It’s really that simple. As abundant and relatively cheap as outfielders are to acquire, there's no reason the Braves shouldn't at least be pursuing upgrades with the goal of grabbing at least one more guy.
Even with Harris coming back, there's probably an argument for acquiring more than one outfielder given how poorly most of their “depth” has played and how scary a severe hamstring injury can be for a center fielder. Harris wasn't exactly having a stand-out season before he got hurt either, which adds further to the argument.
It does need to be said that Atlanta does have three outfielders under team control for 2025, plus a club option on Marcell Ozuna. So with any player acquired who isn't a rental, some things are going to have to be figured out. But that isn't a big enough obstacle to prevent upgrades from being made. You figure that out in the winter.
Okay, so if they’re going to try to trade for someone, whom might they get?
Where the problem with acquiring shortstops is there are just none available and none to list, the exact opposite is the problem with outfielders. There are too many to list. On top of that, the extra Wild Card spot in each league has watered down the word “contender” to the point that even sub-.500 teams can claim they're still “in it.”
This, of course, muddies the waters in identifying buyers from sellers, which makes putting any sort of reasonable list together even tougher. But there are a few names we can comfortably list as available.
Taylor Ward of the Angels is probably one the leading candidates. He's hit 14 HRs this season while posting an excellent .354 xwOBA and double-digit walk rate.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. from Miami would bring athleticism and stolen bases back to the lineup with decent pop and defensive versatility in the outfield and infield.
Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox is the home run addition, capable of being the highest-impact player on the list. He brings huge power, solid defense, multiple years of control and a very high prospect cost. He does come with an injury history and lots and lots of strikeouts.
Brent Rooker of the Athletics may be the safest bat on the market with the monster season he’s having in 2024. But he’s actually a DH and most teams are pretty sure sticking him in the outfield full-time is a disaster waiting to happen. And the Braves already have a full-time DH.
Jesse Winker of the Nationals hits all the boxes, it would seem. A rental, a lefty hitter, with big OBP numbers and solid all-around production. The problem for Winker has been multiple clubhouse issues with multiple teams that Anthopoulos may stay away from entirely.
Randy Arozarena with the Rays is a fascinating name. He had a miserable April but has been awesome since, with multiple years of team control and huge playoff pedigree. But are the Rays selling him? Are they selling at all? It would surprise no one either way.
Tommy Pham of the White Sox is another interesting name. Has a strong .338 wxOBA this season with a nine percent walk rate, but very bad defense and another guy who’s made some enemies in different clubhouses through the years.
Lane Thomas of the Nationals is lower down the list but deserves consideration. He destroys lefty pitching and is on pace to steal 40 bases this year. The problem is he really struggles against righty pitching and isn't going to win any Gold Gloves in the outfield.
And there's even more names on teams we aren't sure are selling. If the Cubs fall completely off the mountain the next seven days, do they move Ian Happ or Cody Bellinger? Same question with the Giants and Michael Conforto? Gavin Sheets is a name, Kevin Pillar is a name, Miguel Andujar is out there, Detroit has some interesting names, the Reds could probably trade an outfielder, Miami has multiple guys, what does Texas do, and on and on and on. Hell, Kris Bryant is about to be activated by Colorado, how much of that stupid contract would they eat? Would Oakland entertain JJ Bleday?
There are so many names and so many possibilities, including more than a few that weren't mentioned here at all. Anthopoulos will have plenty of options to wade through. Where he lands and how many names he lands on is going to be fascinating part.
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