The trade deadline passed by with the Atlanta Braves not doing much of anything other than finding a sucker to take Rafael Montero off their hands which was nice. However, if some current reports are to be believed, the Braves were at least entertaining swinging pretty big to address their outfield's troubles with an All-Star with local roots.
Atlanta's outfield has been a bit of a sore spot during the 2025 season. Ronald Acuña Jr. has been on the injured list for most of the season, Michael Harris II has struggled mightily until recently, and the Braves had to make do without the suspended Jurickson Profar and he hasn't played well since returning. Put all of that together and you have the 23rd ranked outfield by fWAR (1.8) in all of baseball.
As it turns out, the Braves almost made a pretty big move to try and get their outfield back on track. According Twins reporter Dan Hayes, at least one source said the Braves pursued Byron Buxton at the trade deadline. While that could have been fun, it could also mean that Atlanta is already looking to move on from Profar or Harris.
Braves reportedly tried to trade for Byron Buxton at the deadline which raises questions about Michael Harris and/or Jurickson Profar's futures
There is zero indication that any trade for Buxton by the Braves was remotely close to getting done. While the Twins did go through an extensive sell-off in anticipation of being sold, Buxton has a full no-trade clause. Minnesota is likely to be pretty bad for a couple years, but Buxton has told everyone that will listen that he is staying with the Twins for the rest of his career and that stance seems to have included the Braves despite his links to the area.
What is more interesting is that the Braves were sniffing around Buxton at all. There is no denying that Buxton is one of the most dynamic players in baseball and he is under team control through 2028, Atlanta already has (for the moment) a centerfielder in Harris and once Acuña Jr. returns, things could have gotten pretty awkward in the outfield in a hurry. Of course, that would have required Buxton to stay healthy which he has demonstrated zero ability to do during the course of his career.
Buxton pursuit or not, it is pretty obvious that the Braves are not sold on Harris or Profar going forward. Buxton would have been in center field almost certainly, but we don't know necessarily who would have gotten the boot had that deal happened especially with the amount of money and years owed to Harris.
One thing IS certain and that is we can expect Atlanta to keep their options open heading into the offseason as they try and shore up what was once an area of strength on their roster.