The All-Star Break represents a natural time for all MLB teams to reflect upon their performance thus far, assessing what has went well for them so far & what has not. MLB teams are able to celebrate their All-Star players, give the rest of their players a breather before the rest of the season, & reshuffle their starting pitching rotations. Most importantly during this time, teams must determine whether they are buyers or sellers, as the MLB trade deadline is looming on Monday, August 3, at 6:00 p.m.
This brings us to the Atlanta Braves, as we look to assess how their season has gone. After getting off to a hot start to their season, the team’s performance has cratered since the calendar turned to the month of June, in which they posted a 9-14 record. Things since then have gotten somewhat better, and as of the time of this writing, the team has a 5-5 record in July, pending the results of the series vs. the Cardinals.
What has gone well
Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin, Raisel Iglesias, Matt Olson, and Chris Sale represent the team’s All-Stars, and they have carried the team all season long with their stellar individual performances which have translated directly to the team’s achievements. Outside of these players, CF Michael Harris II deserves mention as an All-Star snub, as does LHP Dylan Lee who has posted a 1.52 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, & 51 strikeouts so far. Finally, Mauricio Dubón deserves praise as he has played well all over the diamond.
What has not gone well
Simply put, the team has been bitten hard by the injury bug, which has caused them to become overly top-heavy, often relying too much on their All-Star caliber players. Injuries to star players RHP Robert Suarez, C Sean Murphy, and RF Ronald Acuña Jr. have been devastating, with these injuries clearly affecting the team’s performance. It certainly doesn’t help matters that players like 3B Austin Riley, SS Ha-Seong Kim, and RHP Bryce Elder have each dealt with performance-related issues all year long.
The team’s starting rotation, in particular, is in shambles, as Spencer Strider, Martín Pérez, Spencer Schwellenbach, & AJ Smith-Shawver have missed time due to injury. RHP Reynaldo López, RHP Hurston Waldrep, RHP Bryce Elder, and RHP JR Ritchie have all been shuffled in and out of the rotation based on needs and circumstances. Chris Sale and Grant Holmes have been the team’s best starting pitchers by default.
Is the team a buyer or a seller?
The Braves are clearly a buyer, and the team’s starting pitching rotation needs help. With the latest news that OF Mike Yastrzemski has landed on the 10-day IL, it is very well possible that the team could target the outfield as an area of emphasis in trades. Let us remember that this is the same team that traded for four (!) outfielders at the 2021 trade deadline on their memorable run to winning the World Series that year.
There should be some sense of urgency from the team to make some moves as well, with the Phillies and (shockingly) the Marlins each gaining ground in the standings. Both of these teams are only three games back in the National League East division standings at the time of this writing, with those red-hot Phillies holding the second-best record in baseball (43-24) since skipper Don Mattingly was hired on April 28th.
Where does the team go from here?
RHP Sonny Gray has emerged as a potential trade deadline target for these Braves. Gray would make sense as a potential addition, but it is realistic to assume that the Braves will be involved in talks for other starters, perhaps adding one or more guys. On the outfield front, the Braves have expressed interest in acquiring Byron Buxton. It would cost team a lot to acquire his services, but the fit and interest makes sense.
GM Alex Anthopoulos prefers to keep his potential moves in-house and close to the vest though, so these rumors could prove to be nothing more than wild speculation. There’s certainly an expectation that the Braves will be able to address some of their shortcomings though, with players returning from injury along with possible trades.
The Sports Beacon 