Atlanta Braves: Don’t Get Your Hopes Up About Acquiring These Players At The Trade Deadline

KRIS BRYANT (Cubs)

The Atlanta Braves seem to no longer need a 3rd baseman with Austin Riley emerging as a legitimately viable, and cheap, option. However, what the Braves could use is a big bat corner outfielder.

Even though Kris Bryant is a 3rd baseman on the all-star ballot (that fact being a sore subject involving our own Austin Riley), he has primarily played at both corner OF spots this year.

Before the season started, Kris Bryant did seem like a viable target in a trade. He could play 3rd base if Riley continued to need development, and then he would be a free agent at the end of the year.  Plus, the Cubs looked like they were a team with a rebuild coming in their immediate future.

This year, Bryant has been fantastic with a slash line of .278/.364/.522 and a 146 OPS+. He has also already accumulated 2.1 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). He would make any team better, so it makes sense that people following the Atlanta Braves would want the former MVP to join the team.

Odds are that it won’t happen, though. At the time of this writing, the Chicago Cubs are 8 games above .500 and tied for first place in the National League Central.

The NL Central is arguably a weak division and the Cubs have a good chance to at a minimum get a wild card spot. It makes little to no sense for them to trade Kris Bryant unless they get a massive overpay that includes a player that could also help the team now.