The trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, and despite the Atlanta Braves getting mixed reviews at best for their acquisitions (or lack thereof), the team is absolutely cruising right now. After torching the Marlins on Thursday night, the Braves now have an eight-game winning streak as they head to New York to face the Yankees this weekend in what should be a very tough test.
While things are certainly settling down a bit now that trade season is officially over, there is still some Braves news that you may have missed amid all of the chaos this week. Let's take a look at what has been going on.
Braves are committed to giving Chris Sale extra rest this season...and it is working
Considering that Chris Sale won a Cy Young in his first season with Atlanta, it is wild to think that he looks the best he has in a Braves uniform right now. Sale's starts seem to always be breezy (when the offense scores runs anyway), and his velocity is the best of his career, which is crazy given how good he has been over the course of his career and that he is 37 years old.
As it turns out, some of that has to do with the Braves being committed to finding opportunities to give Sale extra rest, which is happening again on Friday when new acquisition Tyler Mahle will make his Braves debut. The Braves have only started Sale on regular rest twice this year and firmly believe that that (combined with some changes to his offseason throwing program) has really helped him stay healthy and throw harder.
Ronald Acuña Jr.'s first homer against the Marlins is going to be on blooper reels for a long time
We are used to seeing Ronald Acuña Jr. hit tape-measure home runs, as there are few players in baseball who hit the ball with more authority when they are right as he is. However, Acuña Jr.'s two-homer night against the Marlins might be his most impressive feat yet, since the combined distance probably averaged out to neither leaving the yard at all.
In the third inning, Acuña Jr. skied a fly ball to the wall in left-center. While it should have been an out or, at best, a double off the wall, Marlins outfielders Esteury Ruiz and Heriberto Hernández converged on the ball at the same time, the ball hit off of BOTH of their gloves, and bounced over the fence. Combine that with Acuña Jr.'s opposite field wall scraper homer to right in the eighth inning, and you have one of the more improbable multi-homer games you are likely to see.
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) August 6, 2026
Details are emerging as to why Braves weren't close to trading for Tarik Skubal
The Braves needed to add an impact starter at the trade deadline, and, unfortunately, they did not secure one. They had well-publicized interest in making a push for Jacob deGrom before he decided to exercise his no-trade clause, but many fans hoped the Braves would land Tarik Skubal. Based on what we know now, they may have never had a chance.
As brutal as it is, it sounds like the Tigers were only going to move Skubal for high upside talent that was close to the majors. According to a report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Braves made virtually all of their young players available in trade talks, but were never close to a trade for Skubal, and it doesn't seem like anyone else was either. While some criticized the Tigers' return from the Dodgers in that trade, that Zyhir Hope (one of the better position prospects in baseball) and River Ryan (who was one of the best pitching prospects in baseball period before he got hurt) were so close to big league ready made any package from the Braves (including ones that might include Eric Hartman) were always going to be a tough sell. Oh well.
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