Atlanta Braves: 4 Factors Alex Anthopoulos faces in replacing Mike Soroka

2. What is AA willing to sell to make a deal?

Two sub-points here:  (a) Who are you willing to give up?  (b) once you have that list, how coveted by a trade partner are the players you’d be willing to part with?

The Braves probably have a few trade chip prospects that others would be interested in having, though AA has been very reluctant to pull that big Trade Trigger to this point.

Ian Anderson is one of the bigger prizes.  So is Cristian Pache.

Beyond them, Atlanta essentially showcased two catchers in Alex Jackson and William Contreras during the first weekend of the season.

Drew Waters is also a possibility along with some additional mid-tier minor league talents.

Regardless of the “who”, figure that the price will involve some pain.

1. Rental or Controllable?

Now let’s suppose that the decision has been made:  the Braves are ready to go “all in” and make a starting pitching trade.  What kind of pitcher will they be looking for?

As you look across baseball’s horizon, do you seek out a trade partner with a controllable young pitcher (e.g., Matthew Boyd or Joe Musgrove:  both under team control through 2022) or a rental arm (Robbie Ray, Mike Minor).

Then there’s the in-between veterans… a Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb or Danny Duffy (all over 30, yet all under contract through next season).

Cost is going to be a factor – even in this short, pro-rated-salaries season.  Can the Braves afford to take on money?  That would likely make a trade much easier, but there’s no way to know if the team can spend any cash.

In 2021, Mike Soroka is going to be out for some period of time… perhaps half the season.  You’ll need somebody to fill his large shoes for longer than just now (hopefully next Summer, his return might effectively be the Braves ‘trade deadline acquisition’ at that time).

If you figure that you’re going to have to spend your limited prospect capital on a deal, you’d rather do that on a player than you’ll have for longer than just this Summer.

In the end:  you make the deal you can… there are things you’d prefer to do, but according to the great philosophers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: “you can’t always get what you want”.

When it comes to deals at the end of this month, it’s going to be a ‘beauty contest’:  a matter of how much somebody likes your pieces above those offered by others… and this won’t be a year in which “quantity” (number of bodies) wins the day:  it will almost certainly be about “quality”.

One final thought…