Yeah. Key pieces being hurt/under performing/incarcerated plus poor bullpen management are really hampering the Braves. For everything that went right last year it's going wrong this year. Waiting for the actual deadline to make moves will only decrease our chances. If the idea is to make a push then the sooner the better. That being said, if they do wait I expect the team to move some expiring contracts unless some over performances between now and then happen.
Interesting piece about the Reds potentially selling because they probably need to get out from under several contracts - they'd probably take back some expiring money to make that happen. I'd think AA would have to be SURE he was out from under any future commitment to Ozuna before taking on anything substantial, but if he was we've probably got the types of pieces to line up with them in a blockbuster. Just using the full season salary numbers since I don't have time to put together the actual ones, if they'd take Ender and Smyly's expiring contracts back in a deal for Gray and Castellanos he'd "only" be adding $7-$8 million to what was the Opening Day payroll. Castellanos' deal lines up fairly similarly to what they were going to pay Ozuna to begin with, so the overall long-term commitment would be pretty similar (paying Gray for two extra years though).
Something like that would hurt the system, but you'd then be in a position to let Morton ride off into the sunset this winter and hope you could fill his spot with Soroka in 2022. If he willing to back the truck up (you guys will have to consult the charts, but something like Waters, Muller, Arcia, Shuster and maybe even some filler???) while holding onto Pache, Harris, and both Catchers it might be worth it.