8 prospects the Braves need to use as trade bait this offseason
The trade market may be the best place for the Braves to address their roster holes this offseason, but that means they are going to have to part with some minor league talent.
Fans of the Atlanta Braves are eagerly awaiting the start of the NLDS on Saturday, but one thing that has become apparent is that this is a Braves' roster that isn't without problems. Sure, there is no denying that the lineup is absolutely loaded, but the starting rotation is lacking healthy depth right now and bringing in a quality bullpen arm or two going into 2024 certainly wouldn't hurt.
The problem is that the upcoming free agent class isn't particularly good especially on the pitching side of things. Most of the arms that are going to be available have some real warts to them (age, ineffectiveness, injury, etc.) and the few that stand out are going to cost a ton. Given that the Braves don't like to lay out a lot of years and dollars for pitchers, that creates a bit of a problem going into the offseason. However, one way the Braves could remedy this is by turning to the trade market yet again for their needs and fortunately, they have the prospects to make some moves.
Here are 6 Braves minor leaguers that the team should try to trade to bolster their 2024 roster
Just so everyone is on the same page, the Braves don't HAVE to trade all of these prospects. There is no such thing as a team having too many players that have value. However, it can be true that a team can be set at a given position (to varying degrees) and the best value in the guys behind them is for a team to trade them before their value goes down as they linger in the minors. That is the category of prospects that is going to be the focus here: guys who have been in the minors for a bit that could be worth more to other teams and who also don't have a clear path to playing time with the Braves.
Let's take a look at some of the Braves' farmhands that should be on the table in trade talks this offseason.
Vaughn Grissom
Vaughn Grissom is a clear example of a guy that may simply be more valuable to the Braves as a trade piece than as a future piece of the big league roster. After Grissom lost his spot to Orlando Arcia in the shortstop spring training battle in 2023, it became clear that Grissom's future with the Braves was in question. His limited time in the big leagues saw him struggle to impact the ball consistently and his defensive miscues have been well documented.
However, many have seem to have forgotten that this is a guy that can flat out hit. In 102 games with Triple-A Gwinnett in 2023, Grissom has slashed .330/.419/.501 with eight homers. Will he be that player in the big leagues? Probably not, but he also isn't a scrub and a team that needs a big league ready infielder with some offensive upside could be very interested in Vaughn which could yield a big league ready arm for the Braves this offseason if the stars line up.
Spencer Schwellenbach
Spencer is another guy that fans may be sleeping on and frankly, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to try and keep him for future use as a rotation arm or bullpen piece. In 65 innings this season, Schwellenbach has posted a 2.49 ERA across two levels of the minors in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
If the Braves have a lot of one demographic of player in the minors right now, it is at pitcher and Spencer is not without his warts. His strikeout rate and ability to get swing and miss is not exactly what you would like to see from a college draftee and he, of course, has that injury background. However, Schwelly was a highly regarded draft prospect back in 2021 and if including him in a deal for a more "sure thing" this offseason is what is required, the Braves can afford to lose him as they have other young arms that may be ahead of him in the pecking order anyways.
Dylan Dodd
This is a tough one because Dylan Dodd's trade value isn't the highest right now. He struggled this season in limited playing time in the big leagues, had to dealt with some arm soreness issues during the course of the season, and he had trouble commanding his stuff overall in 2023. When we talk about trading a guy at peak value, that is not where Dodd sits as of today.
However, there are a lot of things that are appealing about Dodd as a pitching prospect. He has a bunch of pitches and when he is on, his changeup and slider can be absolute weapons. It also helps that throwing with his left hand certainly doesn't hurt his cause. The Braves shouldn't force a trade involving Dylan, but if there is a team out there that values what he brings to the table highly, Atlanta shouldn't be afraid to move him.
Braden Shewmake
Braden Shewmake has been a polarizing figure in the Braves' farm system for a while. After he was drafted back in 2019, there were fair concerns about whether he could be an every day shortstop and if he would hit for much power although everyone seemed to agree that he was a plus hitter. However, what has happened is that he has proven to be a very strong defender at short and hit 16 homers in 2023, but his hit tool has regressed significantly as he hasn't hit better than .259 in any of the last three seasons.
One thing that we do know is that it is hard to see him having a future with the Braves. Orlando Arcia seems to have the starting shortstop spot on lockdown and Braden is probably behind Grissom on the depth chart if something were to happen to Arcia. At 25 years old and having just finished repeating at Triple-A, both the Braves and Braden could be best served by sending him to another team that may be able to unlock more at the plate out of him.
Luis De Avila
This is a fun one because the Braves got a gift when De Avila was available when they picked in the Rule 5 draft after the 2021 season. Luis had been a bullpen arm previously, but the Braves saw a potential impact starter in his profile and have been rewarded over the past two seasons with one of their most consistent performers on the mound thanks to a quality three pitch mix that plays well off each other.
For a team that is looking for a lefty that can miss some bats and typically can go deeper into ballgames, De Avila has to be pretty appealing. Luis isn't a guy that lights up the radar gun or highlight reel, though, and there is a real question as to whether or not he can be more than a back of the rotation guy. For a team like the Braves that has some high ceiling arms higher on their projected big league depth chart, this is the kind of arm they can afford to trade to get help during the offseason.
Jared Shuster
Jared Shuster's big league future has been a hot topic ever since he made his debut as a pro. There is no denying that his changeup is one of the better pitches in the organization when he is right. However, his low 90's fastball doesn't seem to fool anybody and when his command is off (which it has been for most of 2023), he can miss in the zone which can result in a lot of damage being done.
Again, you don't necessarily want to trade a guy when his value is low and Shuster's combined numbers in the majors and minors this season have certainly been ugly, but just letting him rot in Triple-A isn't going to be good for anyone. At this point, Shuster doesn't look like much more than a throw-in in a trade, but that may be best for everyone at this point.
Jesse Franklin V
Teams are always looking to add hitting prospects that have some power, but unfortunately the Braves don't have a ton of those guys in the minors right now as they have prioritized pitching in recent years. However, one name that is at least mildly interesting is Jesse Franklin V who can really mash when he is healthy.
Jesse missed a bunch of time last year after having Tommy John surgery, but he has shown flashes in 2023 of being an impact player in the outfield. His hit tool is still questionable post surgery, but he did hit 15 homers this season while playing home games in a very pitcher friendly park and also stole 21 bases along the way. He is more of a lottery ticket type prospect right now, but this is the kind of guy that teams like to take a chance on if the deal is right.
Drake Baldwin
Every team wants/needs catching prospects as it is the hardest position in baseball to find quality players. However, the Braves are in a uniquely strong position at the big league level at catcher with Sean Murphy locked up for the foreseeable future and Travis d'Arnaud's club option for next season being a mortal lock to get exercised. That means that a guy like Drake Baldwin could be expendable.
While Baldwin gets mixed reviews for his work behind the plate, he has had a tremendous season at the plate in 2023. Across three levels of minors, Drake slashed .270/.384/.460 with 16 homers with the bulk of that production coming when he was at high-A Rome. The Braves may want to groom Baldwin to replace TdA when the time comes and become Atlanta's backup catcher of the future, but he may end up being more valuable as a trade piece this offseason as his value is at an all-time high at a position of need around the league.
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