The trade deadline is coming up in a few weeks. The Braves have some relatively minor holes, possibly lots of cash to fill them, but very little prospect capital to deal.
Lots of names have been thrown around as targets...
Ian Happ - Signed for $6.9M this year, controlled for 2023 via arb for what will probably be ~$10M. Seems like a good candidate to fill in at 2B then slide to the OF if/when Albies returns. It's unlikely many teams will be fooled by his current .341 BABIP bosting his BA a bit, and this is likely his career year. Should cost something approximating a FV45 or low end 50 plus filler.
Whit Merrifield - Signed for $7M this year, and $2.75M plus $4M in incentives for 2023 with an $18M mutual option for 2024 that is almost certainly not going to be picked up by both sides. Like Happ, he could be the 2B/OF hybrid that fits this roster nicely. He's never been a great hitter (102 career wRC+ is almost exactly average), but his current bad results appear mostly due to a career low .263 BABIP. He is on the downside of his career, and should be a bit cheaper to acquire than Happ.
David Peralta - Signed for $7.3M this year. It seems like this guy has been a potential trade target for years, and that's because he offers what the Braves always seem to lack: MLB average offense in LF. Peralta is back to doing Peralta-type things this year. He should be fairly cheap to acquire, but only makes sense if Rosario fails to rebound after eye surgery, which is why it's imperative to get Rosario as close to 100 PAs as possible before the deadline.
Andrew Benintendi - Signed for $8.5M this year. He is pretty much the lower power higher OBP version of Peralta. He should be similarly cheap to acquire, and like Peralta, only makes sense if Rosario doesn't get back to form.
Brandon Drury - Signed for $900k this season. He appears to be the utility guy the Braves have always wanted guys like Camargo and Arcia to be (remember how painful it was watching them play OF?). Drury could fill in at 2B and then slide over to LF when Albies is back if Duvall/Rosario aren't getting it done. He can also fill in everywhere else. This may be the guy to target, and he might be a bit more expensive to acquire than first meets the eye.
Those are just the position players that caught my eye, and AA probably needs at least one high leverage RHP in the BP. I suspect the rotation will be deemed good enough that they won't look to add there.
Lots of names have been thrown around as targets...
Ian Happ - Signed for $6.9M this year, controlled for 2023 via arb for what will probably be ~$10M. Seems like a good candidate to fill in at 2B then slide to the OF if/when Albies returns. It's unlikely many teams will be fooled by his current .341 BABIP bosting his BA a bit, and this is likely his career year. Should cost something approximating a FV45 or low end 50 plus filler.
Whit Merrifield - Signed for $7M this year, and $2.75M plus $4M in incentives for 2023 with an $18M mutual option for 2024 that is almost certainly not going to be picked up by both sides. Like Happ, he could be the 2B/OF hybrid that fits this roster nicely. He's never been a great hitter (102 career wRC+ is almost exactly average), but his current bad results appear mostly due to a career low .263 BABIP. He is on the downside of his career, and should be a bit cheaper to acquire than Happ.
David Peralta - Signed for $7.3M this year. It seems like this guy has been a potential trade target for years, and that's because he offers what the Braves always seem to lack: MLB average offense in LF. Peralta is back to doing Peralta-type things this year. He should be fairly cheap to acquire, but only makes sense if Rosario fails to rebound after eye surgery, which is why it's imperative to get Rosario as close to 100 PAs as possible before the deadline.
Andrew Benintendi - Signed for $8.5M this year. He is pretty much the lower power higher OBP version of Peralta. He should be similarly cheap to acquire, and like Peralta, only makes sense if Rosario doesn't get back to form.
Brandon Drury - Signed for $900k this season. He appears to be the utility guy the Braves have always wanted guys like Camargo and Arcia to be (remember how painful it was watching them play OF?). Drury could fill in at 2B and then slide over to LF when Albies is back if Duvall/Rosario aren't getting it done. He can also fill in everywhere else. This may be the guy to target, and he might be a bit more expensive to acquire than first meets the eye.
Those are just the position players that caught my eye, and AA probably needs at least one high leverage RHP in the BP. I suspect the rotation will be deemed good enough that they won't look to add there.
