The top starting pitcher on the trade market has now been moved in the form of Luis Castillo. There are still several solid arms left for the Atlanta Braves.
Getting a starting pitcher at the trade deadline isn’t imperative for the Atlanta Braves, but it would certainly help as they look to track down the New York Mets in the NL East.
They were likely never in the sweepstakes for Luis Castillo, and the top trade deadline starter is now off the board as he has been traded to the Seattle Mariners.
The #Reds have acquired IF Noelvi Marte, IF Edwin Arroyo, RHP Levi Stoudt and RHP Andrew Moore from the Mariners in exchange for RHP Luis Castillo. pic.twitter.com/0T4A8cHkan
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 30, 2022
That’s a trade package the Braves simply can’t match right now.
But with the top starter officially traded, what’s next?
On MLB Trade Rumors list of the top 60 trade candidates, they have Frankie Montas and Tyler Mahle ranked right behind Castillo.
Both might become too pricey for the Braves, especially after seeing what the Mariners gave up for Castillo.
Granted, Castillo is better than both Montas and Mahle, but any team acquiring them will likely have to part with a top prospect.
If the Braves are going to acquire a starting pitcher at the deadline, it likely comes from the next group of trade candidates in Noah Syndergaard, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jose Quintana.
Syndergaard and Eovaldi are both expensive in terms of money owed the rest of this year before both hit free agency.
Five years ago I wanted the Braves to trade for Quintana badly. He hasn’t been nearly as good since leaving the Southside of Chicago, but he’s been a solid innings-eater this year and could help out the back of the rotation.
The San Francisco Giants are an interesting team to watch over the weekend. They lost again on Friday and are four games back of a wild card spot.
If they suddenly become sellers, Carlos Rodon would become a huge trade target as a potential impending free agent.
Martin Perez could be another interesting trade candidate. He’s having a solid year with a 2.52 ERA and 9 wins for the Rangers.
If you want to go back to the Royals, Brad Keller has another year of control through arbitration and could be a solid fourth or fifth starter with a great infield defense behind him.
There are still some options there, but the trade deadline season is heating up. Some of these options are likely gone by the team you even read this!