Braves may have some unexpectedly valuable trade chips hiding down at Triple-A

When it comes to trade season, it is as important for the Atlanta Braves to correctly identify and value their current assets as it is to identify the correct needs and players to help solve them. Few things feel worse than giving up on a player in a trade, only for them to turn out awesome and haunt you for years. Conversely, adding an undervalued player at the cost of talent that ends up being nothing feels amazing. Getting both sides of the equation right is what makes a team winners at the trade deadline, and the Braves may have some unexpected help to make that happen.

We know the Braves' trade deadline needs at this point, and most of the prospects that Atlanta could afford to deal are pretty well-established. While the Braves still need starting pitching, most would agree that they would have to give up one or more of JR Ritchie, Owen Murphy, and Cam Caminiti to get a quality rotation arm. On the flip side, it would require quite the trade for Atlanta to consider moving Eric Hartman.

However, there is a bit of a wrinkle that the Braves could take advantage of. As it turns out, some of the veteran "quad-A" sort of players that Atlanta added for depth purposes have played their way into having actual value and could be VERY useful at the trade deadline.

Brett Wisely and Brewer Hicklen are becoming sneaky good trade chips for the Braves

More specifically, there are two bats down at Triple-A in infielder Brett Wisely and outfielder Brewer Hicklen. Wisely can play anywhere in the field in a pinch and has a real knack for getting on base, while Hicklen is a journeyman slugger who is currently in the middle of a career year in the minors with a .301/.370/.509 line with 14 homers in 73 games. Given that the Braves have not given either player a chance this season in the majors despite having multiple chances to do so, they are also both expendable.

Given the uncertainty around the upcoming CBA talks and a relatively shallow market, having veterans in the minors who are performing offensively is a nice advantage to have. Neither will be centerpieces in a trade, but they could be complementary pieces in a deal with a team that likes a younger Braves prospect, but who also need some short-term help at the big league level. Sometimes, you just need a utility infielder or a right-handed hitter with some pop for a couple months, and these guys fit the bill.

What is also pretty nice is that both Wisely and Hicklen make sense as trade chips in a variety of deals. They can be quality throw-ins in a larger trade or could be pieces Atlanta moves individually for small infusions of talent on their own. For guys that most Braves fans couldn't pick out of a lineup, that is still pretty valuable.

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