The Atlanta Braves Need to Be Aggressive at the Trade Deadline

As the second half of the MLB season gets underway, teams across the league are preparing for the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

As a first-place team, the Atlanta Braves are in a position to buy at the trade deadline and improve their roster ahead of the playoffs.

Even with their 60-42 record, the roster is still flawed and in need of improvement. To stay at the top of the NL East, the Braves will need to be aggressive in filling the glaring holes on the team.

The Atlanta Braves Are Desperate For Starting Pitchers

At 37 years old, Chris Sale is aging like fine wine. While he is pitching like an NL Cy Young candidate, the rest of the pitching staff is in flux. Behind Sale, Atlanta has gotten consistent, but mixed results from Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder.

The three of them lead the Braves’ rotation with at least 18 starts each. While Sale has an ERA of 2.06 in 18 starts this season, both Holmes and Elder’s ERAs are 3.70 and 4.06, respectively.

Due to injuries to other pitchers on the staff, Atlanta has no choice but to give their young arms a look. Both JR Ritchie and Owen Murphy—two of the top arms in the farm system—have been called up to pitch for the Braves this season.

The results have not been great. Ritchie has a 4.50 ERA in seven starts and has struggled with the long ball; he’s given up nine home runs this season. As a result, he was demoted to the bullpen and sent down to Triple-A multiple times. Ritchie is running out of options, which could make him a trade candidate at the deadline.

Meanwhile, Murphy made three appearances, including one start. In his lone start against the Texas Rangers on July 18, Murphy threw only 2.2 innings while allowing five hits and two runs. He has accrued a 4.05 ERA in his three appearances this season.

Atlanta has a lot of potential in its minor league system, but these young arms are not ready for a playoff setting.

There are some good starting pitchers the Braves can add if Alex Anthopoulos is willing to pay the price. If Atlanta can find a great pairing with Sale, it might be enough for a deep postseason run.

Another Bat Could Go A Long Way

It was a magical first two months for DH/1B Dom Smith. Between March 28 and May 28, Smith had an .861 OPS and .348 BABIB in 123 plate appearances. Since then, Smith has just a .558 OPS and a .207 BABIP in 123 plate appearances. The Braves appear to be phasing him out of the lineup.

Austin Riley has been on the struggle bus this season, but he has been much better since the All-Star break. Since July 17, Riley has three home runs with a 1.046 OPS. While it is a small sample, Riley has been producing a lot of hard-hit balls and better at-bats.

As a whole, the offense hasn’t been bad this month. The Braves have a 121 wRC+ in July, which ranks tied-second in MLB. Even then, there have been enough inconsistencies for Anthopoulos to look at adding another impact bat.

In an interview with 92.9 The Game, Anthopoulos talked about his mindset going into the trade deadline.

“The players that are available the players that are available…some teams are gonna say ‘we’re not trading so and so,’ ” he said.

Anthopoulos said he would love to add an impact bat or starting pitcher. However, teams across the league have established who is available, and that may change based on team performances.

Atlanta will need to add if they want to stay in front in the NL East race with the Philadelphia Phillies. While they remain in first place, the Braves need to be aggressive at the deadline.

The Braves are in search of their first postseason series win since 2021.