At the moment, the Atlanta Braves are poised to be clear buyers at the trade deadline this season. The Braves have been the best team in MLB so far, and their lead in the NL East is already sizable, so the idea that they would like to continue that by supporting their roster with additions isn't exactly rocket science. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has already spoken about the Braves' desire to add a starter in the very near future, but another area of need is certainly the bullpen.
The Braves have most high-leverage innings covered with Didier Fuentes (for now), Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez, and Raisel Iglesias. However, the middle innings are a little dicey. Reynaldo Lopez has really struggled at times, and Tyler Kinley is pretty much a lock to allow one or more baserunners, even if he manages to wiggle his way out of it. Moreover, the Braves could really use another lefty reliever, in particular. Dylan Dodd is perfectly fine, but he has reverse splits, and Atlanta just doesn't have enough weapons to neutralize opposing lefties out of the bullpen other than Lee.
Thankfully, a free-falling former contender may be able to help. A lot has changed for the Cubs since they faced off against the Braves earlier this season, when they were among the hottest teams in baseball. In fact, Chicago has basically cratered ever since. With the Cubs looking like potential sellers right now, lefty reliever Ryan Rolison could be the trade target the Braves have been looking for.
Assuming the Cubs sell, the Braves need to try and trade for Ryan Rolison
In terms of trade targets, Rolison checks a lot of boxes for the Braves. Not only is he left-handed arm with regular splits, but Rolison is adept at getting ground balls, gets above average extension, and he would come with multiple years of team control, which we know Anthopoulos loves. In terms of cost, the team control would bump the price up a bit, but he is still just a middle reliever, so it shouldn't be too crazy.
There are some problems with this Rolison trade plan, though. While Rolison DOES have a 2.49 ERA across 18 appearances this season, his 4.49 FIP suggests that at least some of his success has been thanks to good fortune and not skill. Moreover, he gives up a good bit of hard contact and doesn't really get guys to chase out of the zone at all. Walking 4.6 batters per nine is also a bit problematic.
Ultimately, assessing Rolison for the Braves comes down to whether or not Atlanta knows how to sustain what he is currently doing or better. His slider and sweeper do not grade out well currently (which checks out with that abysmal chase rate), and the command issues are problematic. However, the Braves are good at identifying pitchers that they understand and know how to fix. Assuming they could deploy him mostly as a lefty specialist and his stuff passes a certain amount of analytical muster, Rolison is absolutely a guy that should be on Atlanta's radar at the trade deadline.
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