The Atlanta Braves are less than two weeks away from the 2026 MLB trade deadline, and it's clear that the roster needs some work if the club wants to make a World Series run. Between some offensive struggles and a depleted starting rotation, there are certainly a few players Braves fans are dreaming of acquiring.
Although Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos hasn't been known to make the big splashes (at least not during his tenure with the Braves), it hasn't stopped us from dreaming about what the deadline could look like if the Braves went all in.
What a dream 2026 trade deadline would look like for the Braves
Acquire Tarik Skubal from the Tigers
The biggest question in all of baseball right now is whether the Detroit Tigers will trade their ace Tarik Skubal or not. As things stand heading into Wednesday's action, the Tigers are five games out of a Wild Card spot with four teams in front of them. If Detroit isn't able to make another leap before the deadline, the wise move would be to part ways with Skubal.
Of course, Skubal won't come cheap. Skubal might be the biggest rental on the market since 2023, when the Angels infamously held onto Shohei Ohtani, turning down a deal that would have sent Junior Caminero to the Angels.
At the time, Caminero was the Rays fifth-best prospect, but not ranked in the top-100. Another prospect rumored to be in the proposed deal, Carson Williams, was the 72nd-best prospect in MLB according to MLB Pipeline.
If the Braves were to make a similar trade offer, they could offer Tate Southisene, who is the 95th-best prospect in MLB, Alex Lodise or Owen Murphy, who rank right outside the top-100 and two prospects in their 10-20 range.
Bring A.J. Minter back from the Mets
Although the bullpen has generally been a strength throughout the 2026 season for the Braves, Robert Suarez's injury has revealed a few cracks that could be shored up.
With the Braves rivals being one of the few teams completely out of contention this season, they have already announced their intention to listen to offers on every single player in their organization outside a few core players.
Former Braves reliever A.J. Minter falls well within the tradable category, although the interdivisional aspect might complicate a trade. The lefty is a free agent at the end of the season, and has been excellent for New York since returning from injury at the end of May.
Minter would likely require a similar package as the ones the Mets needed to acquire Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley last year. Both packaged required a few top-30 prospects, but no top-100 prospects. The Braves would likely have to part ways with prospects like Garrett Baumann and Herick Hernandez.
Add Michael Wacha and Lane Thomas from the Royals
While the Braves would be swinging big on Tarik Skubal, it still wouldn't solve the rotation depth issues, especially considering Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach are question marks down the stretch.
Although Michael Wacha's numbers aren't going to blow minds, they were solid enough to get him selected to this year's All-Star Game. The righty has a 3.66 ERA so far through his first 20 starts and has completed at least seven innings eight times this year. The Braves only have nine starts this year where a starter has gone at least seven innings.
Meanwhile Lane Thomas has been solid against left-handed pitching this season while holding his own against righties. His bat would give the Braves a little more flexibility to play matchups against lefties and give Ronald Acuña Jr. some more time at DH once the star returns from the IL.
While not wholly similar, the Padres deal to acquire Ramón Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn from the Orioles could be used as a blueprint for a trade. Laureano had $6.5 million team option for 2026, but Ryan O'Hearn was a pure rental. San Diego sent their number six, eight, and 16 prospects to Baltimore, as well as two prospects outside the top-10.
The trade for Atlanta might be slightly cheaper. O'Hearn and Wacha match welll, with both of them being fringe All-Stars, but Thomas isn't quite performing at the same level as Laureano was last year. Additionally, Wacha is owed substantially more money next season than what Laureano is owed this season. However, the difference might be just one fewer top-15 prospect.
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