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Braves rumors: 3 assets Atlanta can trade for Nelson Cruz

By Tim Boyle

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on April 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on April 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 13: An Atlanta Braves hat is seen during the game against the New York Mets at SunTrust Park on August 13, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

Braves rumors: Luke Waddell is an expendable infield prospect to trade for Nelson Cruz

The Braves have several good shortstop prospects but further down the list we find a good yet not spectacular one they should shop around. Luke Waddell was a fifth-round draft pick by Atlanta last year. He batted .260/.324/.450 last year with some decent pop—smacking 6 home runs in only 111 plate appearances.

This year, things are going even better for Waddell. Now in Double-A, he’s batting .314/.408/.451 with 2 home runs and 20 RBI in 120 trips to the plate. He is quickly becoming a run-producer a team like the Nationals should seek to land.

With all of these good qualities, why would the Braves look to move on?

Aside from beginning the year ranked at only No. 27 on the top prospects list, this is an organization with two shortstops in their top ten. Braden Shewmake and Vaughn Grissom—numbers six and seven respectively—make a little more sense to hold or trade for a player of Bogaert’s abilities. The team even has Ambioris Tavarez, Cal Conley, and Diego Benitez ranked higher than Waddell.

Hoping to capitalize on a strong start to 2022, it could benefit the Braves to move on from Waddell this year in hopes of bolstering their lineup right now.

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