The MLB trade deadline is now nearly 5 hours away… the Atlanta Braves — and teams at the top of the NL East — have been quiet thus far.
If you are looking for pitching, there’s still a lot to be had… and the Atlanta Braves should be able to acquire some relief help in the next few hours.
In terms of position players, though: there’s not much truly available now unless (a) you’re looking at the Cubs, or (b) there’s a shock trade out there that nobody expects.
The New York Mets promise to be active today. To this point, they have made some minor moves, plus acquired Rich Hill to shore up their decimated rotation. They still need infield help.
The Phillies have done… nothing. Oh, they thought they had a deal in place to bring Pirates left-handed to them, but medical issues killed that deal.
The Braves, for their part, actually have already completed one of the more significant deals for a position player this season in getting Joc Pederson from the Cubs. But there’s still more to do, of course:
Q. ARE THE BRAVES GOING TO GET ANOTHER BAT?
A. Unfortunately, the answer is “almost certainly not”. At least nothing of the “impact player” variety, since virtually none are available unless Byron Buxton miraculously becomes available at a price point that’s reasonable.
There is word that Trey Mancini is getting some interest, but Baltimore is very “reluctant” to entertain a deal for the heart-and-soul of their club. Aside from him, though… the picking are indeed very slim.
Q. ARE THE BRAVES GOING TO GET A RELIEF PITCHER?
A. I am still hoping for a couple of them… and there are numerous good ones still available. Seattle has traded their best pair, but of those we profiled, none of the rest have yet been dealt, so while we may have to wait until the end, I believe it will happen.
Q. CAN’T THE BRAVES JUST ADD PLAYERS IN AUGUST?
A. Not easily. The waiver-trading system has been abolished. Players can still move from team to team if they’ve been released or via a couple other methods, but waiver-claim trading is not happening. So for the most part — which certainly includes the most desirable players — July 30 represents a hard deadline.
Q. WAIT… WHY ISN’T THE DEADLINE JULY 31ST?
A. Mostly because of all the daytime games that take place on Saturdays and a desire not to distract teams while they are supposed to be concentrating on a game. That doesn’t mean distractions and disruptions won’t happen, but the move to a Friday deadline — before any games start today — should keep that to a minimum.
Q. ARE THERE ANY BRAVES RUMORS RIGHT NOW?
A. No, and that’s typical of an Alex Anthopoulos-led front office. I get the impression he’d probably fire somebody on the spot if they leaked trade discussion information.
So at this point, all we have is cryptic and non-helpful information like this:
"Jon Heyman on Twitter: “Braves, very much in this at 4 back in NL East despite all the misfortunes, are buyers looking for bullpen help and a bat.”"
No real news here yet… but we hope. There will be more once we know more… and hopefully a new podcast tomorrow morning once the dust all settles.