Atlanta Braves injuries mount as trade deadline approaches
By Fred Owens
Five controllable – more expensive options
Several controllable pieces are known available or could also hit the market. These players have option years and larger contracts which would require the Atlanta Braves to accept more money and give up talent.
Trey Mancini: Mancini having a fine year for the Orioles, batting .283/.343/.541/.884, with 24 homers, a .364 wOBA and 129 wRC+. He’s first-time arb-eligible in 2020 and under team control through 2023. All of those things make him a prospect intensive option.
Starling Marte: Marte’s in the final year of his contract, but the Pirates have two, relatively inexpensive option years.
At 30-years-old, Marte’s having his best year since 2014, batting .284/.325/.499/.823, with 17 homers, a .342 wOBA and 113 wRC+.
The Pirates haven’t indicated they’d move him, but a good pitching prospect, Ender Inciarte, and a third body might convince them to shed the payroll and make the deal.
Domingo Santana: Santana had three very good offensive years for the Brewers before being sent to Seattle because they had no room for him.
The big right-handed hitter has a .273/.342/.472/.814 line. .343 wOBA and 119 wRC+. Santana’s not a defensive wizard; you’re buying a bat if you trade for Santana.
Franmil Reyes: The Padres overstocked outfield needs slimming down, and Reyes’ name came up in various trade proposals over the last month.
Reyes has BIG power and boasts a .252/.313/.531/.844 line, a .346 wOBA and 116 wRC+ with 26 homers in 304 PA this season.
His 34.7% HR/FB rate ranks #1 in MLB and his 47.3% hard contact rate is #16. Like Santana, Reyes bat carries him, but it will carry him a long way.
Hunter Renfroe: Renfroe splits time with Reyes in the crowded Padres right field and posts remarkably similar numbers.
So far he’s batting .243/.304/.570/.874, with a .354 wOBA, 121 wRC+, 28 homers in 479 PA. His 49.3% hard contact rate ranks sixth in baseball, and his 26.9 HR/FB rate ranks eighth
Defensively he’s a much better option than Reyes, Santana or Marte and his 60-grade arm is better than all options named today, with the possible exception of Puig.
He does have a platoon split, but it isn’t awful, and he hits both with considerable power.
| Split | G | PA | AB | H | 2B | HR | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHP | 89 | 260 | 235 | 56 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 79 | .238 | .304 | .532 | .836 |
| vs LHP | 46 | 82 | 74 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 15 | .257 | .305 | .689 | .994 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Others you might consider, include Alex Gordon, Jorge Soler, Kole Calhoun, and Nomar Marza
That’s a wrap
Duvall started in left field for the Atlanta Braves when he arrived, with Acuna moving to right (and Riley getting a long break).
This added ball in Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos’ juggling act requires some quick decisions. Regardless of how well Duvall plays, Riley’s recent ineptitude dictates they add protection for the postseason.
They can’t wait until the last day to start looking for a deal, so preliminary discussions are likely underway now regardless of how well Duvall plays. The least likely pickup – barring some kind of package for a closer and an outfielder – is a less expensive rental like Puig or Pence.
Ideally, a right-handed bat who doesn’t flail helplessly against same-sided pitching appears the most logical, but something like a Dickerson platoon could work too. Dansby Swanson’s move to the 10-day IL compounds the GM’s problem.
Next. Can I have that to go?. dark
If Camargo is under consideration as a trade piece, there’s a need to grab a backup who they can stash in AAA until September like Alcides Escobar. At the same time, he’s presumably pursuing a couple of bullpen pieces (KC traded Jake Diekman to Oakland, so we missed that one) and another starter to improve the Atlanta Braves pitching staff.