It was an upsettingly quiet trade deadline for the Atlanta Braves this season, and many fans have begun to voice their frustration with Alex Anthopoulos. To be clear, no one was expecting a complete fire sale like the Minnesota Twins had at the deadline, but to be so stagnant was weird to say the least.
The decision to stay put and hold on to so many pieces that could’ve fetched a few prospects to replenish Atlanta's bottom tier farm system is a puzzling choice. Most notably, hanging onto a rental piece like Raisel Iglesias is a trade fans were clamoring for, but ultimately did not receive.
Hanging on to Raisel Iglesias is a major deadline blunder for the Braves
Many have made the argument that Iglesias simply was not in demand this deadline. However, considering the Braves were able to fetch any return at all for Rafael Montero, this argument feels lackadaisical. Sure, it’s true Iglesias has had his share of ups and downs in 2025 and he’s owed real money for the remainder of the season. However, with all that said the Braves could have paid the money owed to Raisel so that a contending team was more willing to trade for him. With that logic, getting a mid level prospect back in return felt like an easy move to make.
Relief pictures were flying off the shelf during deadline day and with so many contending teams, it’s hard to believe none would have taken a flyer on Iglesias. If the money wasn’t an issue (which it very well could have been thanks to bosses above Anthopoulos), the Braves not trading Iglesias is clearly the biggest blunder from the front office in regards to trade deadline day.
Instead, the Braves will operate the final 60 games with a closer on a team struggling to win games, and clearly out of postseason contention. In no world is this a good decision for the team going forward. Fans have a right to be furious, and hopefully voice their displeasure enough to motivate the front office into actually doing something this upcoming offseason.