For the Atlanta Braves to reach the amount of success they have obtained at the major league level over the last few seasons, they first had to part ways with some highly-ranked prospects. Many believe that the Braves farm system has weakened drastically and could potentially make trading more challenging in 2024.
Sitting 8.5 games back in the National League East and 4.5 games up for the top NL Wild Card spot, Alex Anthopoulos will be looking for ways to improve the club for the second half of the season. Atlanta could toy with the idea of moving the 11th-ranked prospect in the organization, Drake Baldwin to acquire the help they need.
Drake Baldwin could be a perfect trade piece for the Atlanta Braves
At first glance, giving up the 11th-ranked prospect within the organization at the trade deadline sounds fairly reasonable. Drake Baldwin doesn't crack the MLB Top 100 prospect list but he is participating in the 2024 Futures Game.
So far in 2024, Baldwin has spent time with Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. Between both levels, he is hitting .268 with 10 home runs and 50 runs batted in. These are respectable numbers but digging deep into how he got to those numbers is rather impressive.
Drake Baldwin has batted balls of 105.2 mph, 106.7 mph, and 109.5 mph
— Garrett Spain (@BravesMILB) July 7, 2024
20 of his 66 (30.3%) batted balls at Gwinnett have been 105+ mph
He’s the only Triple-A player with 30+ % going 105+ mph (min 50)
MLB players to do that in 2024: Giancarlo Stanton
Aaron Judge
Shohei Ohtani
Who wouldn't want a left-handed hitting catcher with noticeable pop? Seeing that Drake Baldwin has done something only Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Shohei Ohtani have accomplished this season makes it a no-brainer for the Braves to keep him, right?
It's always challenging to decide if the risk is worth the reward when contemplating trading talented prospects. Drake Baldwin, in particular, makes an even more difficult case for Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves.
Sean Murphy has been injured quite a bit in 2024 and has struggled when he has played. Travis d'Arnaud is 35 years old and has an option in his contract at the end of this season. Baldwin could be the next man up to hold down the backstop for the Braves.
Sometimes fans forget Major League Baseball is as much a business as it is entertainment. Looking ahead to the salary potentials for 2025, it may make more sense for Baldwin to stay with Atlanta and make his way to the MLB club soon.
Hey now, you're an All-Star!
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) July 10, 2024
All-Star Futures Game Participant, Drake Baldwin, gives us a 2-1 lead in the third on this 407ft @SoFi home run. pic.twitter.com/XgWFRz7Tw8
On the other hand, the Braves are one of the few teams in the MLB that seems to be in the conversation of World Series favorites every year. Even with all of the injuries and challenges the club has faced in 2024, their goal of another championship still stands.
To be in the best position to make a playoff run, Atlanta still needs some help. Alex Anthopoulos will continue to explore options to improve the outfield and put a power bat in the lineup and may have to part ways with a player of Baldwin's caliber to accomplish that.
It is kind of rare to see a bat like Baldwin's traded for another MLB bat but catchers with that type of offensive talent are hard to come by these days. An unlikely trade partner that would make sense for this could be the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers are 5.5 games out of their division behind the Mariners and Astros but seven games out of a Wild Card spot and rumored to be sellers at the trade deadline. Drake Baldwin could be a nice addition for their future and Adolis Garcia would bring the Braves exactly what they are looking for.
However, trades are often hard to accurately predict and there are plenty of teams who would benefit from Baldwin's talents. It just depends on how highly the team values him for their future plans.