Three Out Of The Box Trade Targets For The Braves

The Braves Front Office seem to always make out of the box trades that many do not see coming. Here are three possibilities.

The MLB trade deadline is coming up fast, and the Atlanta Braves look primed to be buyers. If we are being honest, the Braves’ front office has become known for making out-of-the-box trades that most fans did not even think of.

What positions should the Braves target?

Fortunately for the Braves, they do not have any true “needs”, but there are some areas that could be upgraded.

The bullpen has been hit hard with injuries with Dylan Lee, Nick Anderson, Jesse Chavez, and A.J. Minter on the mend. Even with the recent additions, the Braves could use some depth or potentially a high-leverage reliever.

Kyle Wright and Max Fried are also on the mend. Obviously when they come back the rotation will see a massive upgrade in performance overall, but there is no guarantee that these two arms will come back and be pitching at 100%. So, a rotation arm could help in multiple ways. It could eat innings, help keep the thin bullpen rested, or if the Braves can make a trade for a high-end arm, could be a key piece of the rotation for the postseason.

Finally, even though the Braves’ offense is on pace to be its best since 1897 in terms of runs per game above average, left field has seen a massive drop off in production as of late. On the year, LF has a wRC+ of 97, which means they have been 3.0 percent below average. If a 97 wRC+ is your worst position, your team is in a good spot. However, since the start of July, LF has seen a wRC+ of 14. That is 86.0 percent below the league average and ranks them 29th in MLB.

Who are some out-of-the-box names to consider?

As mentioned earlier, the Braves front office tends to make out-of-the-box trades, so let’s explore some.

Eloy Jiménez (White Sox)

Not too long ago, Jiménez was a player that brought a lot of hype. In recent seasons, his name has not been brought up much, even when he has been productive. He has dealt with injuries, but when on the field he has been very good.

Since his debut, he has an OPS+ of 119, which is 19.0 percent better than league average. Since the start of 2022 he has an OPS+ of 131.

Now, he would be a defensive liability and is typically deployed as a DH. However, the last player that was primarily a DH the Braves traded for that was a defensively liability, the team was able to overlook the defense. This player was World Series MVP Jorge Soler.

In all seriousness, you can’t compare the two players one for one, but Jiménez has high upside offensively.

The White Sox are clear sellers and they will not be in a competitive window until arguably 2025 with the farm they have. Jiménez’s contract is up this year but there are team options for the next two years that will most likely be exercised. This makes his contract valuable, so the Braves may have to pay a decent price to get him.

Chris Stratton (Cardinals)

Chris Stratton’s ERA so far this season at 4.47. This is 4.0 percent below league average in terms of ERA+. However, ERA can be deceiving for relief pitchers due to their small sample sizes. Remember, when you trade for a player, it is for what they will do in the future, not the past.

Stratton’s underlying metrics show positive regression to the mean (progression) in the future. His expected ERA (xERA) is much lower at 3.95, and he is striking out an impressive 10.1 hitters per nine innings while only walking 2.8 for a SO/W ratio of 3.69 which is the best of his career.

His xERA is on the best 42.0 percent of MLB while his strikeout rate is best 26.0 percent and his walk rate being best 39.0 percent. Hitters also have an expected batting average of only .258 against him.

Stratton is not the type of guy that will be the difference between a first-round exit and a World Series, but he is a solid bullpen arm that would add good depth. On top of this, he should be cheap. His contract is up after this year, and the Braves would only owe the prorated amount of $2.8M.

Seth Lugo (Padres)

Long time Met, and now Padre, is in a contract year. He has a player option following this season and so if he thinks he can make more money on the open market, he can enter the market after this year. He is having a solid 2023 campaign so far in 15 games, so odds are he will re-enter free agency.

That being said, the Padres are currently in 4th place in their division 10.0 games behind the Dodgers and 6.5 games out of a wild card spot with three teams ahead of them vying for the final spot. As of right now, they have a 26.5 percent chance of making the playoffs.

If they decide to sell off some rental pieces, Lugo makes a lot of sense for the Padres to move and for the Braves to pursue.

He currently has a 3.62 ERA (113 ERA+), 3.76 FIP, 1.195 WHIP while having a 4.94 SO/W ratio through 82.0 innings pitched.

Now, his xERA is higher at 4.29, so he has been a bit lucky, and his Statcast numbers are not extremely pretty. But, if the price is right, Lugo could be a solid back end of the rotation guy to help the Braves cross the finish line. With him being low risk, even if he does not make the postseason roster, he could help fill the 5th rotation spot at a low cost.

Odds are that the moves that come in the next few days, some of us won’t see coming, but one thing is for sure, it is going to be exciting to see what happens.

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