Fansided

Braves: 3 trade deadline targets to avoid

By Sam Peebles

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 16: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 16, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 16: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 16, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 13: Ben Gamel #18 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on May 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Braves trade targets to avoid: Ben Gamel

Ben Gamel is a corner outfielder that the Atlanta Braves could get for relatively cheap. He is on a one-year contract that would only cost the pro-rated $1.8 million amount. He would also not cost much prospect wise. Not to mention, Gamel is arguably having best season of his career.

Currently, Gamel has a 0.5 WAR this year, which is impressive for him considering he has a career 1.7 WAR and has been in the league since 2016.

In 45 games, he is currently hitting .257/.350/.386 with a 112 OPS+ (12 percent better than league average). The 0.5 WAR and offensive numbers look intriguing from a high-level view. However, there are some red flags.

His 112 OPS+ is also easily the best of his career (OPP+ of 97 for his career). This could mean that he has turned a corner, but there is also the chance that it could be an anomaly.

To be fair, his underlying metrics look good. According to Statcast:

  •   Expected Batting Average (xBA) – Top 9% of the league
  • Expected weighted On Base Average (xwOBA) – Top 20 percent
  • Expected Slugging Percentage – Top 38 percent

His Batting Average of Ball In Play (BABIP) this season is also right on par with his career, being .330 and .338 respectively

So, what is the catch? Why not trade for him?

Defensively, he has not been good. He has a -0.4 dWAR, -1 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), and -3 Outs Above Average (OAA).

The Atlanta Braves are already terrible in the outfield defensively. The Braves are currently ranked 26th in overall defensive rating, according to Fangraphs.

To be fair, Acuña has been out most of the year, Rosario had a hole in his retina, Duvall was not playing his primary position, and Michael Harris has been called up. However, Ozuna is already on the roster as an outfielder, and that already limits options.

Ozuna has been on fire lately, and his bad luck of a low BABIP is finally catching up. Rosario will be back with a healed eye and could platoon with Duvall, and Acuña is ready for duty.

The Pirates are pretty obvious sellers, and teams who needs a bat will be looking at Gamel. If the Braves are looking for an outfielder, it just simply does not make sense to get into a bidding war for a player that is defensively limited that is only hitting 12 percent above average when they have other options already.

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