We don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Atlanta Braves have been bad this season. Like, really bad. You can’t escape it no matter where you go. Want to look at the rest of MLB’s standings? Good luck keeping your eyes away from the fact the Braves are 10.5 games out of a playoff spot. Want to check on how things are going in the American League? That’s cool, just don’t look at how Max Fried is doing.
Want to pursue basically any national publication’s MLB power rankings? Again, that sounds like fun, just be sure to be sitting down once you look at where the Braves rank.
That last sentiment came true earlier this week when ESPN put out its midseason team grades list, where they gave the Braves a predictable (and depressing) grade of an F.
Braves receive the most predictable midseason grade ever from ESPN
That’s right, ESPN gave the Braves an F for their season. And honestly, we can’t blame them.
Their pitching hasn’t been great. They’ve been snake bitten by injuries. We haven’t seen nearly enough of Ronald Acuña Jr. And all of that has resulted in a season that everyone is ready to forget.
“What's gone wrong? They haven't scored runs, as the offense continues its remarkable fade from a record-setting performance just two seasons ago. The collapses of Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies lead the way, with lack of production at shortstop and left field playing a big role as well. Closer Raisel Iglesias has struggled, and the team is 11-22 in one-run games. Spencer Strider hasn't yet reached his pre-injury level and Reynaldo Lopez made just one start before going down,” wrote ESPN’s David Schoenfield.
Sadly, he’s not wrong.
Harris’ drop in production has been startling (he’s hitting just .210 this season), and it’s been another rough showing in a lineup full of underachieving players. Albies (71 OPS+) and Nick Allen (66) have both been black holes in the lineup, and Alex Verdugo was horrible before the team cut him loose when Jurickson Profar returned from his suspension.
On the pitching side, the loss of Lopez hurt the team early and it got even worse when Sale went down with a fractured rib cage and breakout star Spencer Schwellenbach fractured his right elbow.
All of this sets up what could be an interesting trade deadline. The Braves have a variety of directions they could go in. Do they pull the plug on the season and elect to sell some key players on the roster, or do they throw caution to the wind and act as a buyer even when their postseason chances sit below 1%?
Regardless of what they do, it doesn’t change the fact the start of this year has been a dumpster fire for them.