When you are a seller at the trade deadline like the Atlanta Braves almost certainly will be, you hope to have a player that could intrigue desperate contenders enough to overpay. If you have rental-type assets, you hope that they play at a position that doesn't have many good candidates to force buyers to pony up. In other cases, you make guys with team-control available who are also pretty good to try and entice more bidders into the fray that want more bang for their buck than just adding a guy for a couple months. In reliever Pierce Johnson, the Braves may have the best of both worlds.
Johnson has been one of the Braves' best relievers this season and no one really argues that. Across 39 appearances this season, Johnson has posted a 2.70 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 36.2 innings of work. His contract with Atlanta also includes a very reasonable $7 million club option for 2026 with a cheap buyout which adds to his appeal and is why Johnson is currently being floated in trade talks.
The question now is which team could step up and give the Braves the package they are looking for to be convinced to let Johnson go? Well, CBS Sports' Mike Axisa took a shot with his guess that the Braves could match-up with the Blue Jays on a trade for Johnson before the trade deadline.
The Blue Jays could actually be a great fit for the Braves when it comes to a Pierce Johnson trade
Axisa is obviously taking a shot in the dark here as there hasn't been any real public connection between Toronto and Atlanta in the rumor mill. However, this does actually feel like an educated guess and one that could work out really well for the Braves if it actually were to come to pass.
The Blue Jays are surprisingly in first place in the AL East and just gave Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a massive contract extension. They are extremely motivated to put together a strong season in 2025 because, well, the front office's jobs may depend on it. Toronto has been dealing with a number of injuries to their bullpen of late and will probably need to acquire multiple arms to cover the needed innings in the second half and the playoffs.
In Johnson, the Blue Jays would be getting a pretty cheap and quality reliever in Johnson who they can keep around for a pittance or they can let go after the season if the trade doesn't work out. The Braves should absolutely hold out for a strong offer from the Blue Jays before parting with Johnson and there is likely to be some weirdness with Alex Anthopoulos dealing with the club that ran him out of town, but Toronto has enough prospect depth (especially on the pitching side) to put together a package that would be worth Atlanta's while.