Atlanta Braves: Out Of Left Field Trade Candidates
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…
Out of the box outfield bat options
The trade market has been shaping up. There are teams that are now clear sellers at the deadline.
It would not make much sense for them to hold onto players that will not help them when they are competitive again if they can get something in return that could potentially help them once they reach a competitive window again. This shapes up some trade candidates that may seem — pardon the pun — out of left field.
Andrew Benintendi (Royals)
Benintendi was just traded to the Royals in the offseason, so they obviously want him. However, things are not going as planned with the Royals being 19 games behind first place in their division at the time of this writing, and not looking like they will be competitive any time soon.
Their offense is terrible. They only have 3 hitters over 100 OPS+ (league average). Andrew Benintendi is one of those guys.
Benintendi makes a lot of sense. He is not the game-changer that a Joey Gallo would be, but he is consistently above average. Since he debuted, the only season he has had an OPS+ below 100 was 2020, and we all know what anomaly that was for many player’s stats.
From a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) standpoint, Benintendi averages 3.12 per 162 games played. For reference, Almonte averages 0.7 WAR per 162 games played.
If we are looking at this year, Benintendi sports a 103 OPS+ to Almonte’s 96 (7% better), while beating Almonte out in full body of work by 0.8 WAR so far this season.
A factor that would play in the Atlanta Braves favor in terms of what they would need to give up, is that Benintendi only has one more year on his contract after this year, meaning the trade package may not take nearly as much as one might think.
Max Kepler (Twins)
Kepler could be an intriguing option for the Atlanta Braves. He fits into a mold much like Benintendi in that he could be an upgrade this year, while also helping the future if they so choose. Kepler is signed through 2023, but also has a team option for 2024.
The Twins are obviously not going to win any championship this year, being 18 games out of first place in their division, but there is a possibility that their front office still thinks they are a competitive team.
After all, from 2019-2020 they had winning percentages of .623 and .600 respectively. So, does that mean Kepler is not available, or only available for a massive overpay? Time will tell.
Max is not a game-changer, but has a decent slash line of .238/.324./.468 and a 117 OPS+ over the past 3 seasons. His numbers are slightly lower this year, but he would still be a boost to this thin offense of the Braves. The big question is whether the Twins are willing to sell low at market value for Max.
Harrison Bader (Cardinals)
The Cardinals are rarely sellers, but Harrison Bader may be the type of guy that they are willing to move. He has only played 36 games for them this year, albeit he did spend some time on the IL. But, the Cardinals do have the promising Dylan Carlson who can man CF for them if they decide to move Bader.
The Cardinals currently sit 8.5 games back and 4th place in their division, leading to some speculation that they may be willing to move some pieces.
Hader is not a game-changer on paper, but he could add tons of value for the Atlanta Braves. For one, he is an elite center fielder defensively (4.1 dWAR since 2017), with a plus bat (115 OPS+ since the start of 2020).
This is an area of need for the Braves that they hope Cristian Pache or Drew Waters can fill. But, as we know, nothing is guaranteed with prospects.
Bader is not a free agent till 2024, so this could potentially free the Atlanta Braves up to move Waters, Pache, or both in trades without taking as much of a hit on the future.
Much like the Twins with Kepler, the real question is whether or not the Cardinals’ front office is willing to move Bader at a price that the Braves are willing to pay.
Ben Gamel (Pirates)
Gamel’s biggest selling points are that he is having a slightly above average offensive season (102 OPS+), while not having DH level bad defense, and not being a free agent until 2023.
He also has a history of showing his offensive numbers this season are pretty accurate of his expected performance. He is a career .259/.330/.393, 96 OPS+ hitter. This year he is hitting .259/.332/.446 with a 111 OPS+ since joining the Pirates in early May.
He is having a better season than Almonte, and he would not cost much at all to acquire. After all, the Pirates claimed him off waivers. On the plus side, he is also arbitration-eligible next year, so the Braves will be able to assess in the offseason if they want to keep him or not, at a relatively cheap financial cost.
This most likely would not be a trade that fans would be excited about, but it would make the team better at a cost that the Atlanta Braves would most likely never regret. It would behoove the Pirates to flip Gamel at the deadline. Why not to the Braves?
Next. Five Reasons Atlanta Braves Will Still Win NL East in 2021. dark
It is safe to say that none of these trades are super exciting, but the reality is that the Atlanta Braves may not be looking for exciting blockbuster moves this year when it comes to upgrading their outfield hole. After all, they need tons of help in the bullpen.
Who are some out-of-the-box players that you would like to see? Post them in the comments!