Luis Guanipa
This is a funny one because there was no actual risk that Luis Guanipa was going to get traded at the deadline. Guys who haven't made it to full season ball yet and are in rookie ball or the Dominican Summer League are so far away from the big leagues that teams almost never move them in deals. However, Luis Guanipa has the chance to be special enough that it is worth taking the opportunity to get the chance to talk about him.
Guanipa was the Braves' most recent high dollar international free agent signee ($) as they signed him for $2.5 million during the last signing period. Guanipa has a really exciting blend of tools as he has a chance to hit for average, hit for power, and can run. Down in the Dominican Summer League this year, he has slashed .252/.372/.413 with four homers and 19 stolen bases as a 17 year old. He has a ways to go and we will learn more as he grows into his body and develops, but Luis has a chance to be a special offensive talent.
Cole Phillips
Finally, the only pitcher on this list is one that hasn't thrown an inning this year in Cole Phillips. The Braves took a bit of a gamble on Phillips in the second round of the 2022 draft and giving him an overslot bonus of $1.5 million. The risk with Phillips comes from the fact that he was on the shelf after having Tommy John surgery as a senior in high school.
So why did the Braves take the risk? Well, arms like Phillips' don't come around every day. Phillips was touching triple digits with his fastball in high school and also has a power breaking ball that generates a lot of swing and miss. The goal for now is to get Phillips back on the mound (which could still happen this season), build him back up, and hopefully get him started on developing his changeup. However, assuming his recovery goes well, there is frontline starter upside with Phillips if everything clicks.