3 pitchers Braves should trade for after Mike Soroka’s injury update
By Kristen Wong
Following star pitcher Mike Soroka’s injury’s update, the Atlanta Braves should be looking externally for a quality pitcher to take the mound long-term.
The Atlanta Braves’ bullpen troubles aren’t going to get any easier. After the latest grim news of Soroka’s Achilles injury, they will likely have to learn how to win without their 23-year-old pitching prodigy. And they haven’t quite figured that formula out yet.
In 2020, the Braves enjoyed a Soroka-less, division-winning year in which they advanced to the NL Championship Series, and young pitchers Max Fried and Ian Anderson did wonders for the rotation. This season, their promising squad of young and talented pitchers has turned into a misfiring mess of a bullpen. Atlanta is 17-18 and currently sits third in the NL East with the league’s seventh-highest ERA (4.55).
In Tuesday’s game to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Braves had the chance to move above .500 for the first time this season but cracked, allowing runs in the eighth inning. They have now lost three of the 17 games they have led after the seventh inning, which doesn’t sound terrible at all, but it’s a vast drop-off from last year, when they were 23-0 in such games. Their inability to close games will come back to haunt them in postseason games, no doubt.
In a league that contains the improving Mets and dominant Phillies, Atlanta won’t be able to get far on Ronaldo Acuna Jr.’s homers alone. These are three pitchers the Braves should seriously consider to become a top contender this season.
3. Matthew Boyd
The 30-year-old pitcher for the Detroit Tigers owns a 1.94 ERA and an 0.94 WHIP across his first seven starts this season and is a very tantalizing option for a debilitated Braves bullpen. Boyd is under contract through the 2022 season, but if Atlanta can successfully trade for him, he can be an incredible midseason enhancer with an arm that will get them over their current hump of disappointing results.
In the short-term, Boyd would be a reliable pick for the Braves and could take the mound every fifth day while allowing Atlanta’s cracking offense to do its thing. The southpaw has struck out hitters at a blazing high rate with a consistent three-pitch arsenal and is recording a career-low 1.94 ERA with the Tigers. Long-term, whenever Soroka returns, Boyd would only further fortify the Braves’ starting rotation and give them more dependable options to close out games.
When the MLB trade deadline comes around, Boyd may be looking to leave the team with the worst record in MLB (11-24). Atlanta could welcome him with open arms.