Depth of Atlanta Braves gives them plenty of options at trade deadline

Josh Donaldson struggled to begin this year but recently has been smoking hot aiding in the Atlanta Braves terrific run atop the NL East.

Donaldson was the Atlanta Braves major offseason acquisition signing a one year $23 million dollar contract. There were plenty of Braves fans pleading for the Braves to do more and spend more in the free-agent market.

His presence has taken the pressure off the team that would have been felt during Ender Inciarte’s absence.

After a rough start, the fans disapproval only seemed to get louder and more bountiful. However, after coming off a year where he only played 52 games and a season plagued by injury, a slow start should have been expected.

Now he is flaming hot hitting 5 home runs in his last six games and 21 on the season. He has provided exactly what the Atlanta Braves hoped when they signed him — protection.

Protection for Freddie Freeman who was in dire need of a power threat behind him. While Nick Markakis is a true Major League Hitter and is a smart hitter, he doesn’t invoke the same fear.

Also, he was signed as protection for Austin Riley. If Riley wasn’t going to be quite ready to be in the big leagues, the Braves had a one-year insurance policy to give him that time.

However, we’ve seen the true power potential of Austin Riley, and because of his athleticism making him serviceable in left field, the Braves have created a deep lineup with no true “easy out.”

Austin Riley has slipped here recently batting .209 over the past 30 games and this will be when he proves if he can make adjustments and be a true major league hitter.

If not, the Atlanta Braves can call on Ender Inciarte to return and give great defense while Riley tries to figure it out.

The Braves are nearing decision time as the trade deadline looms. Will Ender be dealt in Atlanta’s quest for a frontline starter or back end reliever?

I think it depends on how the Braves feel about the young guys.

If they think Riley could use some time in Triple-A to work through things then he could be kept as insurance.

However, if Christian Pache is ready to go, he could provide the same defense as Inciarte and give the top prospect a taste of the majors. Thus allowing the Braves to include Ender in a trade.

The Braves also have Adam Duvall as an insurance policy — while not ideal, he has hit 28 home runs on .268 batting in Triple-A this year. He may even be included in a deal, and probably should because I doubt his value will ever be higher.

The Atlanta Braves have a plethora of options and flexibility between prospects and veterans making them good trade partners with any team.

I’m curious as to who you think should be involved in potential deadline deals or if the Braves should stand pat on major league ready players.