We put on our GM hats and make four moves for the Atlanta Braves leading up to the trade deadline that help improve the team.
Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has a lot of work to do leading up to the 2022 MLB trade deadline.
It will be hard to top the success he had at last year’s deadline, but this year’s team is much more complete already. In 2021 AA was having to completely rehaul an entire outfield.
This year he’s just looking to make some marginal moves to improve the overall depth of the team around a good core of players.
But sometimes those depth pieces can be the difference between making or missing the postseason.
Let’s put on our GM hats for a minute and look at four moves to make at the deadline.
Braves Trade Kyle Muller and Cal Conley for Ian Happ
If the Braves are going to make one big splash at the deadline, then going after Ian Happ seems to make the most sense.
He fills a lot of needs for the Braves as someone who can play left field and second base if needed.
Happ has really cut down on his strikeout rate this year and gets on base at a good clip while also providing speed and power.
Braves Trade Alan Rangel OR Braden Shewmake for Noah Syndergaard and cash
The type of prospect might depend on how much money (if any) the Angels throw into the deal.
While the velocity is way down from what we are used to with Syndergaard, he’s still a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm.
Putting him on a good team with a good defense, combined with his competitive nature, and you could get a little more out of him in Atlanta.
Braves Trade Justin Dean for David Peralta
Assuming they grab Ian Happ — who has hit lefties really good this year — grabbing another lefty for the bench like Peralta would be a solid addition.
This is part of creating that depth the Braves need. There are several wasted spots on the bench right now.
Braves Trade Tanner Gordon for Michael Fulmer
Even if you think Kirby Yates will come back and be that dominant back of the bullpen arm once again, the Braves should still go out and get another right-handed reliever just in case.
Fulmer has really taken to a bullpen role since being moved there last year and would help in the middle-to-late innings.
Don’t put too much stock into the prospects included in these mock trades. The value of a prospect is also subjective, these are just to give you an idea of the type of prospect(s) it might take to get each player.
But these are the move types of moves the Braves need to make in order to build a complete team as they begin the final stretch of the year and try to repeat as World Series champions.