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Atlanta Braves: Don’t Get Your Hopes Up For These 3 Trade Candidates

By Sam Peebles

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 23: Jose Quintana #62 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on June 23, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 23: Jose Quintana #62 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on June 23, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
MIAMI, FLORIDA – JULY 05: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the Los Angeles Angels delivers a pitch during the first inning at loanDepot park on July 05, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

As mentioned earlier, the Atlanta Braves could use an upgrade in the rotation. It is not a need, but for the right player it could make sense to add a starting pitcher.

However, since an upgrade in the rotation is not a need, but more of a luxury, there are a few names that simply do not make sense for the Atlanta Braves that many other teams would be happy to have.

Noah Syndergaard

Syndergaard is obviously a big name that the Angels were hoping would help their team in one of their weakest areas in the past few years (Starting Pitching).

Unfortunately for the Trout and Ohtani, it looks like the Angels are going to miss the playoffs yet again.

Noah Syndergaard is on a one-year deal with the Angels after signing a pillow contract hoping to bolster his free agency value in the future. The Angels could very well re-sign him, but it does not make sense for them to keep around a player who could walk in free agency for nothing, if they can get some value in return at the deadline.

Syndergaard is an intriguing player, but he just simply does not make sense for the Atlanta Braves… though the case for getting him is understandable.

He has a decent lineup of stats with an ERA of 4.00 (96 ERA+), 3.60 FIP, 1.197 WHIP, and 4.04 strikeout to walk ratio (SO/W).

The majority of the time, when a team trades for a player, they are trading for what the player will provide after they acquire him.

Syndergaard is showing serious signs of regressing soon. According to Statcast, his peripherals are not ones that the Braves should be drooling over:

  • Expected weighted On Base Average Against (xwOBA) – Bottom 35% in the league
  • Expected ERA (xERA) – Bottom 35%
  • Expected Batting Average Against (xBA) – Bottom 39%
  • Expected Slugging% Against (xSLG) – Bottom 41%
  • Solid Contact Against (Barrel%) – Bottom 44%
  • Strikeout Rate (K%) – Bottom 24%

Mix these peripherals with his adjusted ERA (ERA+) at 96, which is the same as Charlie Morton’s, it just does not make sense to add Syndergaard since he will not be a clear upgrade. He also would take up quite a bit of payroll with the pro-rated amount of his 21 million dollar contract (approximately $9 million) remaining.

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