Matt Olson, Orlando Arcia Proving Braves Weren't True Losers of MLB Trade Deadline

The Atlanta Braves are gaining on the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East because their stars have begun playing like stars.

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Instant grades of the MLB trade deadline are entertaining but also a bit arbitrary. How can one properly grade a transaction without a performance to judge?

That's like giving a kid a grade on the first day of school, which ironically, for many in the Atlanta metropolitan area, was Thursday.

MLB trade analysts could certainly argue that Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos was not aggressive enough at the trade deadline. Yours truly would agree. The main thing he accomplished was to bring back players that helped the club win the World Series three years ago.

But that doesn't change the fact that the Braves won't compete for the World Series this fall without significantly more offensive production from players such as Matt Olson, Orlando Arcia, Sean Murphy and even Austin Riley.

All four were All-Stars during the 2023 season. But none of them were this year. They've all struggled with offensive consistency in 2024.

Despite those inconsistencies, there's a chance Anthopoulos looked at his team's lineup at the trade deadline and viewed it as championship caliber -- that is, if it could begin producing as it did last year.

This week, Anthopoulous has begun reaping the benefits of that patience.

Olson, who we touted as the team's second-half X-factor, has begun showcasing his natural power. Not a moment too late either, as on July 22, I argued he was just about out of time to save the Braves season.

Olson has hits in seven of his last nine games. He's homered five times during that span, including a 2-run homer in the 4-2 victory against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.

In that nine-game span, Olson has recorded a .714 slugging percentage.

Arcia and Riley also tallied homers in Thursday's victory. That accounted for all of Atlanta's offense. As for Murphy, he was 1-for-3 with a single. The four 2023 All-Stars had four of the team's seven hits Thursday.

At this time last season, Arcia was batting .295. Just after the All-Star break this season, though, he owned a .209 batting average.

But like Olson, Arcia has begun to hit. He has recorded a .351/.415/.541 slash line during his current 12-game hitting streak.

Riley is hitting better too. Since returning from paternity leave, he is batting .290 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in eight games. Murphy has been better as well in a smaller sample, going 6-for-18 (.333) in the past five games.

Behind the resurgance of the four 2023 All-Stars, the Braves have won five of the last six games and sit just 6 games out of first place in the NL East thanks to a 4-game losing streak from the Philadelphia Phillies.

Olson, Arcia, Riley and Murphy must prove in the coming weeks that they can sustain their recent success. Without offensive consistency from those four players, the Braves won't be able to catch the Phillies or go where they want to in October.

That fact wouldn't change even if the Braves had acquired a starting pitcher or another outfielder at the trade deadline.