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2 new Braves players who are already paying off after the MLB trade deadline

Trades can make or break a team but Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has once again struck gold, especially with these two players.

By Steven Teal |
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New York Yankees v Atlanta Braves / Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/GettyImages
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The 2023 Atlanta Braves are on a mission to win another World Series. They have been absolutely incredible this year and currently have the best record and offense in all of baseball.

When approaching the trade deadline, there weren't many areas the Braves needed to be focused on improving. The offense was thriving, the pitching was the best in the NL, and the bench depth looked great.

With that said, Alex Anthopoulos knows that adding to that depth is never a bad idea. The first move made was for RHP Yonny Chirinos who was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay. AA then added LHP Taylor Hearn from the Rangers and RHP Pierce Johnson from the Colorado Rockies.

Nothing flashy but moves that added pitching depth for the Braves who were dealing with a lot of bullpen injuries at the time and still did not have Max Fried back.

Things were pretty silent for a while after that and after just one appearance with the Braves, Taylor Hearn was traded to the Kansas City Royals for infielder Nicky Lopez. That move made a lot of sense despite Lopez not having the best season.

He offered bench depth and a solid defensive replacement. He is also a great pinch run option for Atlanta and added a contrast to all the power bats in the lineup as he is more contact driven.

There are two players out of those four who have already made great impacts on the team so far. Let's check out who they are.

Nicky Lopez

New York Yankees v Atlanta Braves
New York Yankees v Atlanta Braves / Michael Zarrilli/GettyImages

Nicky Lopez has been one of the best acquisitions for the Atlanta Braves at this season's deadline. He was acquired for Taylor Hearn and essentially became a low-risk trade for them.

Lopez was pretty much the replacement for Charlie Culberson as he is able to play multiple positions on the infield and can even man left field.

He got his first start for the Braves on August 12th against the Mets and what a debut it was. He finished the day 4-6 with 1 home run and 5 RBI.

However, the trade for the former Royal ended up being way more important than AA could have imagined. Ozzie Albies exited the series finale against the Mets on August 13th with a cramp but it turned out he had strained his left hamstring.

That meant Lopez would have the opportunity to get more starts with the team at second base. Vaughn Grissom was called up to replace Albies' spot on the roster but so far, Lopez has gotten the start at second every game since.

In game one against the Yankees on Monday, Lopez went 3-4 with a stolen base and 3 RBI, continuing to impress fans. He broke history in his first two starts, becoming the first player to have 7+ hits and 8+ RBI in their first start with a team. He joins a team that is breaking records left and right so that tracks that he'd break a record too.

Since coming to Atlanta, he is batting .412 with 7 hits and 8 RBI. That is really nice as he'd been struggling mightily at Kansas City. His offensive success is a nice bonus but his defense is the main reason he was brought over and he has delivered in that department.

Pierce Johnson

Atlanta Braves v Pittsburgh Pirates
Atlanta Braves v Pittsburgh Pirates / Justin K. Aller/GettyImages

The Braves bullpen had been one of the best in the first half of the season. However, it's never a bad idea to add depth to your relief core. Atlanta's pitching hasn't been as good to start the second half but Pierce Johnson has been a bright spot.

Johnson was acquired at the deadline for Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon. He allowed a hit in his first appearance for the Braves but he's now completed 10 appearances for the Braves and has been absolutely impressive.

He has allowed no runs and seven hits with 3 walks and 13 strikeouts through 10.1 innings of work so far. That's exactly what the Braves were hoping they would get from Johnson. He really had a rough ERA of 6.00 when he was brought over but pitching at Coors Field can have that effect on anyone.

His breaking ball is a thing of beauty and has really helped him keep the ball on the ground or get swings and misses. He has given a lot of credit to Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud for calling great games and making great game plans. He also credited that great Braves defense for helping him a lot.

Besides his performance on the field, Pierce seems to be a genuine human being. Every interview he gives is super respectful and you can see how happy he is to be in Atlanta.

Sharing Dad jokes, throwing nasty breaking balls, that's just what Pierce Johnson does.

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