Could Atlanta Braves find pitching help by trading within NL East?
As the Atlanta Braves look for pitching help, they may find their best solutions within the NL East.
It’s rare that teams in the same division hook up on a blockbuster deal, but the Atlanta Braves have the prospects to get any player they want.
The big ‘if’ there is whether or not the Atlanta Braves front office is willing to give up some of those top prospects, and if they think this team has a real shot at winning the World Series this year.
At this point, any trade that the Braves make has to be something that will help them contend against the Dodgers.
Related Story. Comparing Braves and Dodgers. light
And as I wrote recently, the Braves and Dodgers are very comparable in every way except for starting pitching.
There aren’t many pitchers out there available through trade at the moment that would significantly bolster the Atlanta Braves starting rotation.
That is unless a division rival was to bow out of the race and start to sell off some of their pitching.
Of course, I’m referring to the New York Mets.
There was a brief moment when it looked like the Washington Nationals could be sellers, but a recent hot streak has them back in the playoff race.
The Braves and Nationals play seven times before the trade deadline. That’s exactly how many games back the Nationals are of the Braves right now.
Needless to say, the Nationals are here to stay. And the Philadelphia Phillies have spent too much money to give up on the season. Plus, outside of Aaron Nola, I’m not sure there is anyone on their pitching staff I would really want.
Caleb Smith could be an interesting name from the Miami Marlins, but I’m not sure he’s the upgrade the Atlanta Braves need in the starting rotation.
Let’s take a look at what the Mets could offer, and how likely it is for the Braves to make a deal within the division.
Help from the Mets
In my opinion, it’s time for the New York Mets to blow things up and rebuild. They had their shot at a World Series back in 2015 and fell short.
Since then they’ve been trying to piece things together and haven’t been able to make it work. Injuries to their starters have played a big part in that, but they also haven’t been able to find the right lineup combination.
Much like the San Diego Padres did a few years ago when A.J. Preller took over as the team’s GM and he went for it, didn’t find success, so he blew it up and has rebuilt a future contender.
That’s what I believe new Mets’ GM Brodie Van Wagenen needs to do now.
With that in mind, what could the Mets offer to help improve the Atlanta Braves pitching staff?
As much as Braves fans might want it to happen, I just don’t see Jacob deGrom being an option.
The Mets just extended him for 5 years and $137.5 million through at least 2023. That’s too big of a contract to move at this point, and I don’t see the Braves taking on that contract, which has him making $35.5 million in 2021 and 2022 when he should be on his natural decline at ages 33 and 34.
That still leaves three options for the Atlanta Braves.
Zack Wheeler is the most obvious option and is gaining some steam on the Twitterverse. He’s from Georgia and would likely be a great fit.
He’s a free agent after the season, so he would be a rental and likely the cheapest option.
Wheeler is not having a great season with a 4.42 ERA in 114 innings, but he has 123 strikeouts and a decent 1.25 WHIP.
Health has always been an issue for Wheeler, but there is no questioning his stuff. The 29-year-old would easily be at least our third best starter.
Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are the two other options and both are under arbitration control through the 2021 seasons, which means they’ll also cost a pretty penny.
Syndergaard is probably the most attractive option as he’s had the most success in the big leagues. This season is shaping up to be the worst of his five-year career as he has a 4.56 ERA in 100.2 innings with 98 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.24.
But a change of scenery and a much better defense would help those numbers.
Syndergaard also has postseason experience from 2015 where he picked up the Mets only win in the World Series. He also tossed 7 shutout innings in a 2016 Wild Card game that the Mets ultimately lost to the Giants.
Matz would be my last choice of the group as he’s yet to put together a really good full season. The potential is there, but I think we have several internal options that are just as good that we won’t have to give up prospects for.
If I had to choose from those three, I’d trade for Syndergaard because of his ace potential and postseason experience. I think he would help us the most in the postseason.
Trading in the division
Again, trading within the division is not uncommon, but one of the magnitude we’re talking about is pretty rare.
I looked back at the last 10 years of trades, and according to what I found on Baseball Reference, the most significant trade during that time involving a divisional rival was when the Braves sent Mike Dunn and Omar Infante to the Marlins for Dan Uggla.
Over that time the Braves have made three trades with the Marlins and two three-team trades that involved the Marlins.
They’ve also made three trades with the Mets and one with the Nationals during that time. Interesting that they haven’t made a single trade with the Phillies in at least the last 10 years.
Two of those trades with the Mets involved Kelly Johnson, and the other included Jeff Francoeur. I still can’t believe all we got was Ryan Church was Frenchy.
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Usually when teams trade within the division you have one team looking to contend in the short-term, and one looking to contend in a few years. Meaning, the Mets wouldn’t want to give the Atlanta Braves anyone who is going to help the Braves when the Mets are ready to contend again.
Depending on how quickly the Mets hope to turn this thing around, Wheeler may be the only option for the Braves.
A recent article from SNY talks about potential trade packages for Wheeler. They mention Kolby Allard, Joey Wentz, or Kyle Muller as potential options in a deal for Wheeler.
I would be OK with giving up any of them in a one-for-one deal, especially if the Atlanta Braves are then able to sign Wheeler to a three or four-year deal after the season.
A trade for Syndergaard would likely cost the Braves one of their top pitching prospects — maybe someone like Kyle Wright or Bryse Wilson (I don’t think they’d be stupid enough to trade Ian Anderson). They’d also have to include another top 20 prospect from their system — maybe Greyson Jenista.
Next. Time ticking for Ender. dark
It’s certainly a long shot, but it’s not impossible. If the New York Mets are ready to rebuild, and the Atlanta Braves are serious about winning in 2019, it makes sense for these two teams to help each other out.