Barring the collapse to end all collapses (knocks on wood, crossing all fingers and toes), the Atlanta Braves are going to be buyers at the trade deadline. Not only is Atlanta one of the best teams in baseball right now with an extremely high chance of getting to the postseason, but they have some clearly defined roster needs that could actually have solutions on the trade market this year. Assuming the team keeps playing well, you can bet that Alex Anthopoulos is going to do his best to fortify the roster when the time comes.
Of course, that will require Atlanta to actually pay up to get players that can help them. While having the prospect capital to make impact moves has been a challenge in the past for the Braves, that does not seem to be the case in 2026. In fact, the Braves could probably afford to make whatever move they wanted to...but that doesn't mean they should.
Here are the Braves' best trade chips with the deadline coming up fast
Now, there is a world where the Braves could go all-in and make a move for Tarik Skubal or some other top name on the trade market. With the prospect depth (both quality and quantity) that they have right now, that is at least in play. However, we are going to assume that the Braves are probably wanting to hang on to JR Ritchie, Tate Southisene, and Eric Hartman for the moment and not necessarily clean out their farm system. That said, Atlanta still has plenty of ammo to make a big trade or two at the trade deadline.
Cam Caminiti
While Cam Caminiti is currently the Braves' top-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, there are real reasons to believe that he won't stick there for much longer. Not only are there some guys behind him that are playing very well, but Caminiti is having a tough season so far and evidently is dealing with some sort of injury, and he has not pitched since May 27.
However, Caminiti is still highly thought of for his ceiling has a left-handed starter in the big leagues. Assuming his injury isn't a total disaster, you can bet that there will be teams interested in Caminiti in trade talks, and frankly, the Braves can afford to let him leave if the return is good enough.
Owen Murphy
So, the Braves aren't super deep when it comes to big league-ready pitching, but they can probably afford to move one of JR Ritchie or Owen Murphy for the right deal, given that Atlanta has guys like Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach working their way back from injuries and the team is looking for veteran rotation help, anyway. We'll go with Murphy, as Ritchie already seems to be settling into the Braves' 2026 plans, and he has the upside to entice a potential trade partner to act.
John Gil
John Gil was one of the prospect darlings to come out of Braves spring training, but he hasn't exactly rocketed through the minor leagues just yet. Thanks to some of the weirdest home/road splits you are likely to see outside of maybe a Rockies player in reverse, Gil has been a bit inconsistent at the plate this year. However, the athleticism is there to have big upside, and with the Braves having a number of infield options available to them, Gil could be a nice trade chip as the center piece of a trade for an impact player with some team control.
Luis Guanipa
This is more a function of how the Braves have handled his development, but Luis Guanipa feels like a guy who could absolutely get thrown into a trade with a rebuilding team. Guanipa was a big time international signing before struggling the last two seasons with injuries. However, times have changed, and Guanipa looks like a different player this season. Given the emergence of Eric Hartman plus Isaiah Drake's rebound, Atlanta should absolutely be willing to put Guanipa on the table at the trade deadline, though he shouldn't get dealt in a minor deal unless they know something dire that isn't public.
Grant Holmes
Okay, this one looks weird given the Braves' current pitching shortage. However, all the signs that we have at our disposal are that Holmes is trending towards a transition to the Braves' bullpen at some point (and perhaps soon). However, there are other teams that may view his role differently and think they could institute some fixes to make Holmes more viable past the first time through the lineup. If Atlanta finds such a suitor, they shouldn't have much hesitation in using that to their advantage in talks for a player who better fits the Braves' needs.
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