3 teams that need to call the Phillies about a Zack Wheeler trade

1. Atlanta Braves

Beyond Max Fried and eventually Ian Anderson, the Braves struggled to put together a healthy and/or competent starting rotation in 2020. Despite that, they still reached the NLCS for the first time since 2001 and took the Los Angeles Dodgers to a full seven games.

The Braves have a win-now mentality, with one-year deals for Josh Donaldson and Marcell Ozuna in recent years to go with trade rumors attaching them to what may be only a one-year run with Kris Bryant. But they also have a lot of young talent in place, and are set to be a contender until further notice.

The additions of Drew Smyly and Charlie Morton might mean the Braves will shift focus to other areas for the rest of the offseason. But they can and seem likely to still add some payroll for 2021. Wheeler would be in place for multiple years too, whereas Morton and Smyly will be on one-year deals next year. Add in a full injury recovery for Mike Soroka, and the Braves would feature an elite rotation.

The Braves could trade for Wheeler and give themselves a solid top four in the starting rotation, without necessarily preventing a big move elsewhere (Bryant? Nolan Arenado?). And as an ancillary benefit, even considering the potential trade cost, they would naturally weaken a division rival.