Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos made headlines recently when he declared in his radio interview that, “we [the Braves] are not selling… Will. Not. Happen. Bold, italicize it. We’re built to win. Our expectations are to win. Our expectations are to go for it….” With this notion in mind, and in recognition of the fact that the team’s performance on the field this season has been inconsistent at best, there are a variety of scenarios that can be explored to add talented players to the roster at the MLB trade deadline.
Given the financial constraints that the team is facing, one such scenario could be a reunion with old friends who are currently on bad teams & have expiring contracts. That said, exploring a reunion with these three players would certainly make sense for the Braves, with the assumption being that the price for said players is minimal.
Charlie Morton
Charlie’s season-long statistics aren’t pretty as he has a 4-7 record, a 5.63 ERA, and a 1.57 WHIP in 72 innings pitched; however, he has a 4-0 record with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in his last 7 starts, an indication that he has figured things out as of late. The cost to acquire him shouldn’t be much as he is 41 years old and signed to a one-year, $15M deal with the Orioles, who are in last place in the American League East.
Morton is known for his durability and for providing quality innings in most of his starts, whereas the Braves are in need of both components to his game in the wake of Chris Sale’s injury & with all other starters set for career highs in innings pitched. This wouldn’t be a “sexy” signing by any stretch, but replacing one or both of Bryce Elder and Didier Fuentes in the starting rotation must be high priority for the team.
Michael Soroka
The Washington Nationals signed Soroka to a one-year, $10M deal this offseason to join their starting rotation and the results haven’t been pretty as he has compiled a 3-5 record, a 4.70 ERA, and a 1.03 WHIP in 59 1/3 innings (11 starts) for their team. As such, the team may be willing to participate in the rare inner-divisional trade to offload his contract and to allow other young players a shot in their starting rotation.
Soroka is still just 27 years old and now that he is further removed from the injuries that derailed his career here, he’s a strong candidate for a career resurgence of sorts as he enters what could be his prime years, whether it be as a starter or as a reliever. Bringing Michael back to the place where his career began could give the team a key option in their starting rotation and it would surely represent a nice feel-good story.
Kenley Jansen
The Braves bullpen is in desperate need of reinforcement at the trade deadline as the team looks to contend, so a reunion with Jansen could make sense on their end; however, the Angels are still very much in contention with a 41-42 record this year. They are currently in 3rd place in the A.L. West, but are alive in the Wild Card race.
Unfortunately for their team (and for the game of baseball), Angels manager Ron Washington won’t manage the team for the rest of this season due to medical issues. Ron Washington is forever a beloved figure in Braves Country as he was the Braves third base coach & fielding guru during the World Series championship run in 2021.
Would the team be willing to trade their closer in the middle of a postseason hunt? Jansen is 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 15 saves in 28 2/3 innings this season. Despite the ugly metrics, he’s only blown 1 save this season in his 16 save attempts. The 37-year-old Angels closer signed a one-year, $10M contract this past offseason.
The Braves and Angels are set to play each other in a three-game set in Atlanta that begins on Tuesday, July 1st so both teams will surely evaluate how Jansen performs in any potential save situations that occur throughout the completion of the series.
The Sports Beacon 