The MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching, and many notable trade pieces remain on the Atlanta Braves roster. The Braves have been active this week replenishing their depleted rotation, but the moves many fans are waiting for may come down to the wire.
Each potential trade chip Atlanta has will come with varying amounts of teams looking to acquire difference makers for October. Names like Pierce Johnson, Raisel Iglesias, and Marcell Ozuna are all said to be drawing interest around the league. Alex Anthopoulos is always work tirelessly at getting the best possible return for each player, but some trade partners are better than others.
3 National League rivals fans hope the Braves avoid trading with
One area many contending teams aim to improve at the trade deadline is the bullpen. The Braves have plenty of viable mid/late-inning arms on the block should teams reach Alex Anthopoulos' demands. One notable contender who falls into this category is the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies have battled bullpen struggles for quite sometime now, and Dave Dombrowski will leave no stone unturned when attempting to fortify their bullpen for October. Unfortunately, that includes inquiring about dependable Braves' relievers like Pierce Johnson, Aaron Bummer, and others.
The thought of Pierce Johnson in a Phillies uniform for not only this season, but potentially next season as well is enough to make Braves fans sick. Given how many teams need bullpen help this time let's hold out hope that an American League team can pony up some better trade offers.
In a similar vain the Los Angeles Dodgers haven't gotten the results they anticipated from their high dollar bullpen. It's been reported they are on the lookout for bullpen help at the deadline. The Dodgers aren't a division rival, but their intense postseason matchups with Atlanta over the past decade hasn't earned them any love from Braves country.
Trading a bullpen piece to L.A. doesn't mean Atlanta would have to face their departing reliever much (if at all), but giving more ammunition to what everyone considered a super team before the season started just feels gross.
The final, and least fun idea to think about, is the New York Mets potentially acquiring Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna. The Mets haven't got much production from the DH spot this season in Mark Vientos (who is apparently on the trade block), and they are almost always good for at least one shocking move every deadline.
Ozuna's 10-5 rights makes any trade a little complicated, but all signs point toward the slugger getting moved by the July 31st deadline...fans just hope the big bear doesn't land in Queens. No matter the trade partner Alex Anthopoulos is always going to steer towards accepting the best offer, but many fans will always secretly hope they don't have to watch some of their favorite players sport rival team colors over the season's final couple months.