It's looking more and more each day that the Atlanta Braves will be "sellers" at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. After sweeping the Mets back on June 19th, Atlanta has lost five consecutive series. This includes them being swept by the Orioles and dropping to 2-7 during their homestand. Home games were an advantage for this team at some point, but unfortunately that has since faded.
The Braves are now a season-high 11 games below .500 with no signs of improvement. Starting pitching has been depleted due to injuries, the bullpen is doing the best it can, and the offense is struggling to score runs at all.
All of that would (or at least should) lead you to believe Atlanta needs to sell and prepare for 2026. Who would be great trade partners if this happened? Let's explore a few possibilities.
Pirates could be a solid trade partner for the Braves
The Pirates are 38-54 on the season and have plenty of expiring contracts they will likely want to move. Atlanta may not have the best prospect system in baseball, but there are a few players Pittsburgh may be willing to take a chance on.
Atlanta needs starting pitching, so trading for LHP Andrew Heaney would make the most sense, as he is an affordable rental. If the Braves decide to improve the bullpen, David Bednar and Dennis Santana are both controllable through 2026 and shouldn't cost very much. If they want to be more forward-thinking, trading for one of Mitch Keller or Bailey Falter would provide more long-term solutions.
Despite the in-division issue, the Nationals could be a trade match for Atlanta
It's rare for teams to want to trade within their division, but the Nationals do have a few things the Braves would be interested in. Kyle Finnegan and Michael Soroka are both pitching options Atlanta needs to consider heavily. Finnegan has an impressive 2.43 ERA over 33.1 innings with 18 saves. Soroka has been up and down this year, but he has shown enough improvement that the Braves may take a chance and bring him back.
Ahmed Rosario could provide them a better bat at shortstop, but his defense is atrocious, so I don't expect the Braves to replace Allen for a defensive downgrade. Look for Atlanta to focus on pitching if they swing a trade with the Nationals.
Michael Soroka, Poop-Inducing Slurve. 💩
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 29, 2025
As a hitter, you know it's bad when the broadcast team instantly cracks up laughing. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/bOCjcYEpwb
The Braves should try to see if a deal can be made with the Orioles
The Orioles may be having a rough season, but they showed in their sweep over the Braves that they have plenty of talent. There are a few rentals that Atlanta needs to go after, including Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, and Seranthony Dominguez. Morton and Eflin are good additions to the rotation, and Dominguez would be a nice arm in the bullpen.
More long-term solutions would be LHP Trevor Rogers, who just pitched extremely well against the Braves, and flamethrowing reliever Felix Bautista. With Raisel Iglesias on the final year of his contract, Bautista allows the Braves to fill the closer role and cross an item off their offseason list.
The Braves and Mariners could be ideal trade partners at the deadline
The Mariners are in need of bats, similar to the Braves. Kevin Seitzer has helped get them back on track a bit, but they need some help. Marcell Ozuna is the only offensive piece Atlanta could send to Seattle, but with his hip issues and recent cold streak, it may not net much of a return.
Atlanta could consider acquiring J.P. Crawford to give an offensive boost at short. However, similarly to Rosario, he doesn't hold a candle to Allen defensively. But this would give a much-needed boost to the lineup and might be worth the trade-off, as Crawford is batting .284 with a 128 wRC+. He would also have one year of control left after this season.