There is no denying that the Atlanta Braves are in a bad spot as a team right now. After several devastating injuries in the first half, the Braves are 9-12 in July and have lost seven of their last 10 games. For a fanbase that is used to seeing Atlanta dominate over the last several years, this has been a rough team to watch of late.
However, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has a well-earned reputation of working magic at the trade deadline. For many Atlanta fans, they are hoping that he will be able to make additions similar to those the Braves made in 2021 when guys like Jorge Soler, Joc Pederson, and Eddie Rosario propelled them to a World Series title.
This is a very different trade market than in 2021, however, with few sellers and even fewer impact players to choose from. However, an update from MLB insider Jon Morosi regarding the Braves' deadline plans also included a different kind of promising news regarding injured Braves starter Max Fried.
The Braves are not expected to acquire an impact starter before Tuesday's deadline, in part because they believe Max Fried will return from the IL relatively soon.@MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 28, 2024
Braves Rumors: Max Fried's impending return influencing Atlanta's trade deadline plans
When Max Fried went down with neuritis in his throwing arm, it was an obvious cause for concern. The condition can often be an indicator of a more serious problem especially for pitchers. Given how much time Fried missed last year with arm troubles, it was fair to wonder if Fried could be out for quite a while and if the Braves would use the trade deadline to add some rotation depth.
However, it seems like the Braves have avoided that worst case scenario with Fried. While Morosi didn't reveal an exact timeline for Fried's return, that he specifically mentioned that he is expected to return soon is a good sign. With Reynaldo Lopez and Chris Sale proving to be valuable additions to the Braves' rotation and Spencer Schwellenbach off to a great start to his big league career, focusing on other areas of the roster at the deadline makes a lot of sense assuming Fried does return from the IL quickly.
The real question is what moves WILL the Braves make before the deadline passes. They already seemingly missed a golden opportunity when Randy Arozarena went to the Mariners for a very reasonable price and there are not a lot of outfielders on the trade market that inspire much confidence. With the deadline just a few days away now, fans will just have to wait and see if AA has another miracle up his sleeve.