The Case for Atlanta Braves to Trade Outfielder Jarred Kelenic

Almost a year after the Braves acquired him, there is a case to send him packing in another deal

Atlanta Braves left fielder Jarred Kelenic could make for a good trade piece in the right deal / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It’s been almost a year since the Atlanta Braves acquired Jarred Kelenic in a multi-player trade with the Seattle Mariners. In that time, we’ve seen that trade go from being a fleecing to being potentially a total flop - regardless of how well the Mariners return turns out. 

It puts the Braves in a tough spot with how shallow their outfield is due to injuries. 

His poor finish to the season has left MLB.com’s Mark Bowman unconfident in Kelenic being a suitable member of the outfield while waiting for Ronald Acuña Jr. to return. 

“If the season started today, the starting outfield might be Michael Harris II, Jarred Kelenic and Eli White. That’s not going to work.”

And of the latter two mentioned, White was the one the Braves preferred to use down the stretch. So, Kelenic could be the odd man out when figuring out offseason moves.

“If debating which big leaguers the Braves could trade, you would have to at least think about Kelenic,” Bowman wrote. 

Bowman added, however, that the Braves might not see a good enough return to justify trading him. As a result, Kelenic was deemed likely to be staying put. But by concluding that it's still “unclear” what the Braves will do, the door to trade Kelenic is open. 

The right move could make it worth it. For example, if he’s included as part of a deal to acquire that impact outfielder, that could work - especially if they can hang on to another prospect. 

They could also use him in a deal to acquire a starting pitcher and go and fill his spot on the free agent market. That would be another logical avenue.

Since he was part of a multi-player deal last offseason, I don’t think it’s so bad if that’s the case again. 

It would be a better way to admit defeat than if they had non-tendered him and gotten nothing in return. 

Regardless of how they do it, the Braves are going to have to make some kind of move this offseason to find that suitable outfielder that isn’t Kelenic. Even when Acuña is back, they’ll need somebody in left field. 

Alex Anthopoulos has his strange ways of crafting trades. Kelenic could be a piece to a bigger puzzle when it’s all said and done.