Every Atlanta Braves fan should be well aware that Alex Anthopoulos is not afraid to make a splash at the trade deadline. Anthopoulos famously brought in the reinforcements Atlanta needed at the 2021 trade deadline, who became the catalysts around the Braves' World Series title run when it looked like Atlanta might be dead in the water. This year is no different, and the Braves may actually be getting ahead of the game in 2026.
Anthopoulos made himself available over the weekend to talk to reporters about a wide range of topics. Most of the attention was paid to the lengthy list of injury updates he provided, but Anthopoulos also shared some preliminary thoughts about the upcoming trade deadline. Not only does it sound like the Braves could be aggressive, but it also sounds like the Braves could push for a significant trade for a starter before the end of June.
Alex Anthopoulos wants to add another starter for the Braves, and it sounds like he doesn't want to wait for the trade deadline
For the Braves, the logic is pretty straightforward. Yes, they have some guys starting to get healthy that should return this month. However, starting on June 26, Atlanta starts a stretch of 16 games in a row without a day off through the start of the All-Star break. The rotation is going to get battered during that stretch without reinforcements. For the Braves, that represents the time when they could use outside help the most, not necessarily at the deadline and thereafter.
While it is certainly a good bit more difficult to strike a trade this far away from the trade deadline, it is not impossible, and the Braves have kinda done so before. When the Braves traded for Joc Pederson back in 2021, Anthopoulos pulled that move off a full two weeks before the trade deadline because of the Braves' dire need for a real outfielder, and he was willing to pay up to not have to wait.
Exactly what Anthopoulos has up his sleeve is a fair question. While there were hints that the Braves could try to employ a six-man rotation during that brutal stretch to close out the second half, it is possible that AA could have been implying that he wants a short-term solution to that stretch before turning his attention to the trade deadline and beyond.
Perhaps that is the most likely outcome over the course of the next month, but it is probably best that no one underestimates Anthopoulos' willingness to go get what he thinks the Braves need to be in the best position possible to win another World Series.