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?
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!