There is no denying it, if the Atlanta Braves are going to compete, they need some help. Bullpen help is obvious, but they could definitely use an outfield bat
Joc Pederson has been a breath of fresh air for the Atlanta Braves. No one can replace Ronald Acuña Jr., but Joc coming in seems to have helped at least mitigate some of the loss.
Other than Joc Pederson, the Atlanta Braves are still extremely thin in the outfield starting 2 guys that arguably be considered AAA players in Abraham Almonte and Guillermo Heredia.
The Atlanta Braves do not seem like a World Series contender this year. However, they have reinforcements coming in August via players getting healthy if they can stay in the hunt that long.
The Atlanta rotation has been solid the past month-and-a-half. If healthy, and pitching at the same rate come October, this rotation will be better than it was during their deep 2020 playoff run.
The point is, that if they can somehow squeak into the playoffs, anything can happen. They will need a bat to get there.
The Atlanta Braves need an outfield bat
To be fair, Heredia is having the best year of his career and has been a nice surprise as a much better option over Ender Inciarte. Almonte has had his moments, but a league-average player would be an upgrade at a relatively cheap cost. Orlando Arcia is still in the mix as well, but his history also suggests that it would be an easy upgrade.
The Joc Pederson trade makes perfect sense in hindsight. He can help the team this year as they try to stay afloat and make a playoff push, while also giving the Atlanta Braves an option to use him next year if they choose.
It would make sense for the Atlanta Braves to pursue one more trade similar to that one if the price is right before the trade deadline… one that will not cost a ton in prospects, yet can help now and next year.
Let’s investigate…