Braves: 3 trades to make and 1 to avoid
By John Buhler
player. Scouting Report. Tampa Bay Rays. Blake Snell. 0. 21. Pick Analysis. LHP
Atlanta briefly emerged as a candidate to potentially win the Blake Snell sweepstakes. The allure of the Tampa Bay Rays‘ southpaw is obvious. He has outstanding stuff, is competitive as hell and has pitched in a ton of big games for the reigning AL Champions. The problem with acquiring Snell is he will cost the Braves way too much for a guy who cannot regularly get into the sixth inning.
Snell does not hit free agency again until 2024, meaning he has three more years under contract on the deal he signed with the Rays ahead of the 2019 MLB season. 2021 will be Snell’s age-28 season. While he has plenty left in the tank, we have to wonder if he will be worth the haul Atlanta would have to give up to get him. We are talking about several prospects going the other way.
The other thing of note is Snell may not want to come to Atlanta. That is no slight on the Braves, but if he were to leave a good situation for him personally in Tampa Bay, Snell may want to go back to the West Coast and stay in the American League. Teams like the Los Angeles Angels and his hometown Seattle Mariners would definitely fit the bill here. Atlanta cannot compete there.
Related Story. 3 players the Braves could trade while they still have the chance. light
Because the Braves already added Snell’s former Tampa Bay teammate Morton, Anthopoulos may not be down with doubling-down on a pair of Rays pitchers in one offseason. Would Snell satisfy the frontline starter the Braves have been looking for? Sure, but he is not that much older than the young corps Atlanta already has in Ian Anderson, Max Fried and Mike Soroka in tow.
What players should the Braves look to trade for this offseason and heading into the deadline?