With a refreshed pitching staff after the All-Star break, the Atlanta Braves turned to rookie Owen Murphy to make his debut big league start in just the second game after the break. That should tell you all you need to know about the state of the Braves' rotation.
Everyone around the league knows the Braves need to acquire help for their starting rotation. Yes, names like Martin Perez and AJ Smith-Shawver could help once they return from injury, but even they are not the stability GM Alex Anthopoulos is looking for.
Anthopoulos has said he wants to acquire a starting pitcher for the stretch run, but the problem is that teams are not quite ready to make trades yet. The reason is that this year the trade deadline is later than ever, set for August 3, at 6:00 p.m. EST.
Later than ever trade deadline hurts the Braves as they await the moment they can acquire a starting pitcher
As the Braves search for anyone other than Chris Sale to make a quality start, potential trade deadline sellers are navigating the next few weeks to see what decisions they will eventually make. The AL Wild Card race in particular is a damaging one for the Braves, with six teams within 3.5 games of the final playoff spot.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we were discussing a potential Sonny Gray trade, and now the Red Sox have won 12 straight to vault into the final AL Wild Card slot. That goes to show why teams tend to wait until they know for sure the season is over before selling off big league pieces.
As things stand, there are probably six or seven teams clearly out of the postseason race and willing to trade pre-August 3rd. However, if a team like the Royals or Giants is unwilling to trade soon, the Braves may be stuck in starting rotation limbo until August. It's an awkward spot to be in. If Anthopoulos wants to force a trade, he may have to overpay in prospect capital for once.
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