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Atlanta Braves injuries mount as trade deadline approaches

Juggling three lemons is easy compared to the juggling Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has ahead of him in the next 96 hours. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Storey/North Six Group)
Juggling three lemons is easy compared to the juggling Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has ahead of him in the next 96 hours. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Storey/North Six Group) /
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The Atlanta Braves might consider Yasiel Puig as a postseason roster addition following the injury to Nick Markakis. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Five rentals the Atlanta Braves may consider

Most players on one-year deals are probably available. All of the names have appeal in various ways.

Nicholas Castellanos: The Tigers would trade Castellanos, and the Braves name came up in rumors last winter and this summer. His bat leads reasons to trade for him; he’s currently hitting .279/.335/.471/.805 with 36 doubles and 11 homers, .338 wOBA and 111. The numbers, including defense, look a lot like the hot version of Markakis.

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Corey Dickerson offers the LHH platoon for Duvall or Riley with solid defensive numbers in left field last year. He’s out with a groin strain right now and missed time early in the year.

David Peralta:  Peralta’s had another big year for the Snakes, and they’ve decided they’ll trade their 31-year-old LHH outfielder.

Peralta broke out in 2018, posting a .293/.352/.516/.868 line with 30 homers, and 25 doubles. He backed that up this season, by batting .284/.347/.468/.815, but with only nine homers so far.

That line and his .341 wOBA and 108 wRC+ reflect season his average season.

He’s played more left field this season – his arm fits better there – and turned in a respectable 4 DRS/4.9 UZR. Much like Dickerson, he’s a platoon bat only as shown by the difference between his .908 OPS against RHP and his .593 OPS against lefties. I originally had Adam Jones in this spot, but even with his split, Peralta’s a better choice.

Hunter Pence is a great story; after disappearing as a useful hitter in 2018, he spent the winter completely rebuilding his swing and playing winter ball to perfect it. His hard work paid off as he’s batting .291/.345/.564 for Texas with a .375 wOBA and 129 wRC+.

Pence played some right field for the Rangers but spent most of the time as their DH.  He’s been through the postseason wars and inspired the Giants during their last World Series.

Yasiel Puig: I’m well aware that many fans don’t love Puig’s LA persona, but I urge you to put that aside and consider the 2019 version of the Wild Horse. After a cold start to the year – new team, new town, no friends – Puig’s been dangerous at the plate.

Since June 1, he’s batted .317/.366/.621/.987, hit 12 homers, 11 doubles, and a triple while posting a .405 wOBA and 150 wRC+.  With the Dodgers Puig had a bad R/L split, in Cincinnati that split’s virtually vanished.

Platoon Splits
Split PA AB R H 2B HR BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
vs RHP 301 279 40 73 13 17 16 71 .262 .309 .498 .807
vs LHP 87 79 10 21 2 5 6 14 .266 .322 .481 .803

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

He’s hit well in postseason play hitting to a .282/.351/.429/.780 line with five homers in 202 PA.

Puig’s an above average right fielder with a cannon for an arm. Runners don’t take extra bases on him.

He’s playing for a contract and left most of the drama in LA. He’d like nothing more than beating the Dodgers.

Someone on Twitter a couple of days ago (Sorry, can’t find the tweet) put things in perspective: Today’s Puig isn’t crazy, just weird.

[Ed. note:  this is probably it… and it’s legit ]

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