3 ways the Atlanta Braves could show their desperation for pitching

#2. Give Cleveland a Call.

We may never know how ticked off Mike Clevinger‘s teammates are after the stunt he pulled last weekend, though there have been a few hints.

While there was an apology, it came long after the fact that he (a) broke team protection protocol rules, and (b) covered up the crime for multiple days while another teammate took the fall.
At the same time, he seriously risked exposing his comrades to the virus, if he had picked it up during his moment of sowing wild oats.

The entire Indians organization is sorely displeased. But is it enough that they want to get him off the club?

Moreover, if you’re the Atlanta Braves, is this the kind of player you want on your own club?
If you think the 29½-year-old has learned his lesson, then… well, he’s still a really good pitcher, right?

Cleveland is in an interesting situation anyway: they have terrible outfield offense, ranking 29th/24th/27th in position WAR from left field to right field (30th overall). Their DH is 22nd and their catchers are 30th.

They are in a division where their pitching — all of it — has been dominant, and yet they’re just 10-9 and currently mired in 4th place when a playoff spot should be easy to nab.

It won’t be easy to do a trade here (they aren’t simply going to dump Clevinger on the side of the road for pickup), but the Braves might be able to entice them on a club that’s in a mode of “win-now-and-reload-for-the-future”.

It might cost Adam Duvall. It might cost William Contreras. It might cost Drew Waters. It might cost the aforementioned Tucker Davidson or one of the “audition arms” Atlanta has used (not suggesting all of these, but they would be the types of players Cleveland would want back).

Are the Braves that desperate to take a “damaged goods” guy who can still pitch really well?

Maybe.