Three players from every NL West team the Atlanta Braves could acquire

Continuing on with our recent pieces examining three players from every team for the Atlanta Braves to trade for. Today we look at the NL West teams.

With all due respects to the three other organizations, all signs point to the NL West race in 2021 to being a two team race between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.

Still, every team in the division has multiple pieces that could help the Atlanta Braves for the 2021 season and beyond.

As we have indicated many times in the previous posts, the Atlanta Braves are in a good spot for all intents and purposes. We have talented players in the fold already, we have young upcoming good players, and I still presume we have a good amount of money to spend over the next two to three months.

Let’s keep in mind that last note about possibly having a fair amount of money to spend on the major league organization this off season. That could play a huge factor in talks with a couple of these NL West teams as reports have indicated a couple of them are looking to shed a good amount of money while another may be looking to spend but avoid being extremely high over the luxury tax threshold.

As we just saw in 2020, most pundits would argue, and I would agree, that the two best teams going into the season would be the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves. That only makes these trade scenarios that much more complicated and fun at the same time. A deal between the two teams seem slim and none with that being the case but yet, we are going to start right there…with the defending Major League champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

Ahhh, the defending champs that the Atlanta Braves were so close to slaying and reaching the World Series themselves. Oh well, we must move on.

The Dodgers are probably the closest thing we have currently to the late 90’s early 2000’s version of the New York Yankees. However, they have done a great job of drafting and raising their own players who have turned out to be great.

The Dodgers are going to spend more money this Winter, but then again they have to play the luxury tax game and therefore, they might be willing to depart with a pricey veteran or two.

1. David Price– Remember this guy? He opted out before the season, but of course the Dodgers were able to do it without him anyways. Maybe they will want to save a little money and eat a part of his contract and ship him our for a prospect or two? Not as reliant as he once was, David Price would still upgrade most rotations in the game (ed. note: yesterday’s events might have changed that, though!)
2. Chris Taylor– Not one of the big names on the Dodgers because he is hidden behind the superior talent, but make no mistake, Chris Taylor has blossomed late in his career to be a good player. He can play almost any position and his bat is above average. Most teams would have interest, including the Atlanta Braves.
3. Austin Barnes– Barnes is one of the better backups in the game, but the Dodgers have a couple of younger options they could elect to go with. Barnes could serve the same role in Atlanta for the Braves.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are reportedly trying to cut all costs following the Covid affected 2020 season. Recent reports suggest any semi pricey players might be likely to be dealt out. Obviously that leaves one big fish we all know about (more on him in a bit) but that might allow for a couple of other options as well.

1. Jon Gray– Jon Gray had a terrible 2020 season but has shown glimpses of being good over the previous seasons. A change of scenery looks to be all but inevitable, but will the change of scenery help? For whatever team acquires the services of Gray, they might not even have to trade for him as the Rockies might elect to simply non-tender him?
2. David Dahl– Another former top prospect a few years ago, Dahl has battled injury after injury, but when healthy has played pretty good baseball. He seems to be another in a long line of options for the Atlanta Braves to possibly platoon with Adam Duvall for their left-field opening.
3. Nolan Arenado– Of course we are going to include Arenado. No team in the game would not take Arenado whether they had an opening or not. However, the Atlanta Braves would have an opening (Sorry, Riley) We all know the defense would not be a problem, and the bat will be great. Does Coors field help him? Yes, but I have seen enough to know he is an elite player who when on is one of the top 10 players in the game. The hurdle will be if the Rockies take prospects and eat a little money or simply try to dump his contract? That might be the difference in where Nolan plays in 2021.

San Francisco Giants

For the second year in a row, the Giants made a late run, and in my opinion gave false hope to their fan base and maybe the front office. I still believe their best option would being acquire all the young players they can and build for something like the 2023 season and beyond. Besides, it is not like the Dodgers or Padres are going anywhere anytime soon.

1. Reyes Moronta– A bullpen piece to start off here with the Giants. Might not be the sexy move that one would want to see the Atlanta Braves go after, but hey, every team needs bullpen help and the Atlanta Braves do as well especially since they seem to be losing a couple key pieces via free agency.
2. Johnny Cueto– A couple things obviously stick out here. Cueto is not even close to being the pitcher he was years ago, and the Giants would without a doubt have to dump in a lot of change to facilitate any deal. Just for all intents and purposes though, I must say I only included Cueto here due to lack of options (since Donovan Solano is probably not available, for example).
3. Wilmer Flores– If you notice a trend here, I like versatile players that can handle a bat pretty well on my bench. This is another player the Atlanta Braves could look to make a run at in the case they want to expand their bench and make it a little better than it has been over the past few seasons.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks had a miserable 2020 season as nothing went right and players had seasons they would rather forget quickly. I think the snakes would rather forget some of their recent signings and sort of start over. They could easily start the process this Winter and start dealing away some assets that could net them some prospects back in return. Possibly the Atlanta Braves could help with that.

1. David Peralta– Peralta would fit nicely in the middle tier of almost any lineup in the game. The Atlanta Braves would be no different as he could slide into an outfield spot and right into the 5- or 6-spot in the lineup. After all, Peralta would be a step up from the previous left-hander who has been playing the outfield in Atlanta.
2. Kole Calhoun– Most of what we just said about Peralta could also apply to Calhoun, just tab it down a little bit because he is not quite the player Peralta is. Calhoun would in all likelihood serve as yet another platoon partner candidate with Duvall.
3. Eduardo Escobar– Remember a couple of years ago when some reporters incorrectly pegged the Atlanta Braves as the team that was signing third baseman Escobar from free agency? Obviously, they were wrong but it still does not mean that Escobar could not be a fit for the Atlanta Braves now. If the Diamondbacks were to trade him, they would be selling low as he is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro like many other Dbacks.