No one should have expected the Atlanta Braves to make headlines at the trade deadline this year. They were never going to trade away core pieces like Ronald Acuña Jr. nor did it make any sense for them to try and make a big acquisition. This trade deadline was about getting at least some value for their pending free agents and maybe adding a support piece that could help them in 2026.
Unfortunately, the Braves did almost none of that whatsoever. Alex Anthopoulos met with the media afterwards and talked about not being able to line up on a trade and that he wasn't going to force a deal just to make a deal. Whatever the excuses may be, the end result is a dud of a trade deadline that feels like a waste.
Braves deserve a "D" grade for their 2025 trade deadline
The good news here is that the Braves didn't take on any problematic contracts which may have been a possibility if they were looking for a more substantive prospect return in a trade. The team did also get rid of Rafael Montero which was addition by subtraction, though there are a couple other rough bullpen arms that will continue to plague Atlanta for the season's final couple of months.
That is pretty much the end of the good news. Marcell Ozuna is still a Brave as Atlanta apparently couldn't find anyone willing to meet their asking price, though there are good reasons why that may have been the case. Same goes for Raisel Iglesias whose track record probably would have appealed to at least one contender out there despite his struggles this season. In a season that is going nowhere, Atlanta basically decided to stand pat at the trade deadline which is not what you want to see.
Still, giving them a D as a grade feels correct. Atlanta did shed a bit of money (as well as a fan headache) by getting rid of Montero and they didn't create anymore problems for themselves, but those are the end of the superlatives. This is a deadline that showed that Liberty Media is still behind the scenes making sure enough fans show up to the ballpark the rest of the season to support their bottom line. Unfortunately, with that decision comes some costs that the Braves may be paying over the next few years.