As the trade deadline starts to heat up, the Atlanta Braves saw a big trade target come off the board as Andrew Benintendi was traded to the New York Yankees.
There is no question that Andrew Benintendi would have been a great fit for what the Atlanta Braves need, but he is no longer an option with reports of him being sent to the New York Yankees.
It never seemed that likely for the Braves who probably discussed the potential cost back when they made a deal with the Kansas City Royals for the 35th pick in the draft.
The price doesn’t seem all that great, but for a rental, it’s one Alex Anthopoulos likely wasn’t willing to pay.
Sikkema, LHP, is Yankees’ No. 19 prospect, per @MLBPipeline. Beck Way, RHP, is No. 21. Champlain, RHP, not in top 30. https://t.co/V1hDP9Wp9E
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2022
It’s hard to compare farm system to farm system, and every team views a certain prospect differently. That makes it hard to determine exactly what cost this would have been for the Braves.
The Yankees ended up trading three young pitchers who all have yet to advance higher than High-A.
All have big strikeout numbers and rank at the back-half of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects.
If I had to make a comparison, something similar the Braves could have given them was Darius Vines, Dylan Dodd, and Royber Salinas.
Not saying that deal would have matched or beat the Yankees offer, but those are three young arms who profile as backend starters with the potential to perhaps be a little more.
Braves Trade Targets: What’s Next?
Benintendi was second as the top trade candidate, according to MLB Trade Rumors. The next best outfielder on that list (not counting Trey Mancini who is a defensive liability in the outfield) is Brandon Drury.
Interesting that the next outfielder on their list is one who will be in town this weekend — David Peralta.
This is a guy I’ve liked for years as he’s been a pretty consistent hitter throughout his nine-year career.
He has shown signs of slowing down these past two seasons, but one thing he’s always done well — and still does well — is crush righties.
In his career, the lefty is batting .296 with a .843 OPS against righties compared to .239 and .671 against lefties.
Even at 34, he still plays a solid left field defensively.
The only question is, does he become too redundant with Eddie Rosario already on the roster?
If you trade for Peralta, you almost have to get a right-handed platoon partner with him, which the Braves likely need anyway.
The other options in the outfield are Ian Happ, Whit Merrifield, and Tommy Pham.
Happ is still my favorite of that group, but we’ll see if AA comes up with something creative for someone no one is talking about as he usually does.