3 possible trade destinations for Atlanta Braves to deal Adam Duvall

He was sent to AAA because he didn’t hit and couldn’t get the playing time to improve with the Atlanta Braves.  Turns out that the maneuver worked.

One of the most interesting players, and unusual trade pieces, in the Atlanta Braves system remains outfielder Adam Duvall.

Acquired via the late July trade that sent Lucas Sims and Matt Wisler to Cincinnati, Duvall was poised to provide a well-needed power bat to the Braves roster.

Now he’s killing time and killing baseballs in Triple-A Gwinnett.  Now the looming question remains: what will the Braves do with outfielder Adam Duvall?

A simple solution: make him part of another July trade.

Plan A was reasonable

Adam Duvall came to Atlanta with the promise of power and depth assistance, but never really seemed to live up to the expectations.

It seemed like an logical move for the Braves, with fleeting options on their bench and a surplus of promising, young arms with no clear path to the 40-man. Sadly, it didn’t work out that way.

Duvall played in 33 games after moving to Cobb County, and hit an abysmal .132 without hitting a single home run or driving in a single run.

His lack of production at the plate last season made his demotion to Triple-A an expected move at the end of spring training. Now, it seems he’s (finally) found his stride at the wrong time.

Over his 33 games with Gwinnett, Duvall is hitting an impressive .289 – a stat he’s never seen in his Major League tenure – with 9 home runs, 24 RBI’s and a just-as-impressive .999 OPS; not to mention his seemingly new-found consistency.

Note this break-out streak highlighted by David O’Brien of The Athletic.

It looks like he finally found his stride at the plate and can get the ball over the fence again like he did in his lone All-Star season for Cincinnati, 2016.

The problem is Atlanta doesn’t have any room for him.

• The bench is full with Culberson, Camargo, Joyce and Flowers.
• Joyce has proven himself to be a valuable bench piece,
• Camargo has his super-utility role ironed in,
• Flowers is McCann’s only backup and …
• Culberson has become the go-to guy in a comeback situation.

Meanwhile, Inciarte has improved enough at the plate to quiet any rumors of demotion or replacement and Markakis looks to be in his All-Star 2018 form.

Simply put, there’s just no room for Duvall on the Braves 25-man roster. The easy, and likely solution, to get Duvall back on a Major League roster is to send him to a new team in July.

Seems easy, right?  But which team would be the right fit for Duvall that would also yield a smart, promising return for the Braves?

3. Toronto Blue Jays

Let’s start with an obvious one; the former team of our new commander in chief, Alex Anthopoulos.

It’s no secret that AA likes to do business close to home; just look at his big signing of 2018, former squad member and 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson.

Doing business with Toronto at the deadline actually makes a lot of sense, though. They’ve got pieces they’re looking to ship off, we’ve got spots we need to fill, and they’ve got a big gap they need to address: outfield.

The Blue Jays recently traded away a big piece of their franchise to San Fransisco in the form of defensive angel Kevin Pillar. Jon Heyman was the first to report on it.

Since losing Pillar, the Blue Jays have been playing the rotation game in the outfield with no discernible power anywhere to be seen roaming the grass.

Adding a piece like Duvall would not only address the power issue, but would give them an excuse to move a couple more big names they’ve been teasing the TwitterVerse about shipping off.

Sportsnet 590 The FAN spoke with Ken Rosenthal about the possibility of the Jays moving some key guys this July.

This is where the meat and potatoes of this potential option come on the table.

The Braves rotation, while studded with talented young arms, could use a bit of a boost. With the struggles of Foltynewicz and Gausman very much out in the open, a strong, controllable arm would most likely be what the Braves shop for this July.

The Blue Jays need an outfielder, especially one with power.  The four outfielders in rotation for Toronto combine to post a combined .195 AVG with 8 home runs and 35 RBI’s.

Needless to say, the need for a solid outfielder with consistent plate production is there. Long-anticipated superstar prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sitting on a .162 AVG right now.  The Blue Jays need someone in their lineup with the ability to send one into the stands… in fair territory, of course.

Not only do the Braves have that in Duvall, but they are also flush with young, talented arms to send over in a responsible package that would get Duvall back on a Major League field, fix their rotation issues and not leave much of a dent in their farm system.

1. Detroit Tigers

Detroit has definitely seen some better days. Ever since losing superstar pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to greener pastures (and a ring or two), the Tigers have been lacking in the pitching department.

That need for solid rotation arms has only grown stronger, now that Jordan Zimmerman joined team ace Michael Fulmer on the IL not too long ago. Sports Insights broke that unfortunate news.

While the discernible need for a power bat in the field isn’t a burning one for Detroit, it’s easy to imagine them making room for the big bat Duvall will bring.

Shipping some young arms to the Tigers with Duvall in exchange for the late pen arms that Atlanta needs and Detroit has would not only fix Detroit’s everlasting rotation issues, but it would get Duvall back where he wants to be.

Who might Atlanta see in this possible trade? How about a guy named Joe Jimenez?

Yes, trading for one of their prominent late inning guys may seem like a longshot. But think about it for a minute.

Say someone like Bryse Wilson gets thrown in with Duvall. That would allow them to move a struggling Daniel Norris down into a long reliever position to work on mechanics while addressing their need for a little bit more power in the lineup.

Now, I know Jimenez isn’t the most consistent guy on earth, but you’ve got to remember that a change in scenery can make or break someone’s consistency.

Moving a talented closer like Jimenez out of the AL into the NL could provide the push he needs to shave that ERA down to what he would like it to be; not to mention it would give Atlanta the pitching help it’s looking for.

We are still month’s away from the ever-so-exciting trade deadline, and no one but Anthopoulos truly knows what will happen with the Braves; after all, he lives to surprise with his moves (see Donaldson signing and trade that brought Duvall here in the first place).

Given the state of our pitching staff and the no vacancy sign on Atlanta’s 25-man right now, don’t be too surprised to see the explosive Adam Duvall wearing different threads by August 1st.