Braves: 5 under-the-radar trade targets Atlanta should be scouting
By Tim Boyle
The Atlanta Braves outfield is a mess and the front office should already have these five under-the-radar trade candidates in mind.
The Atlanta Braves are sending out an S.O.S. Their World Series hangover continues and one of the main culprits is their outfield.
In the early absence of Ronald Acuna Jr., nobody stepped up. The team has arguably the worst outfield in baseball performance-wise. Given this, it has become clear exactly what they need to be targeting at this year’s trade deadline.
The market for outfielders isn’t an especially strong one at the moment with no one quite standing out. Many of the weaker teams have outfielders they’ll either want to hold onto or have had such bad seasons it’s not even an upgrade for Atlanta. Sticking strictly with a search for some outfield upgrades, these are five under-the-radar trade targets for the Braves to start scouting.
1) Braves trade target Andrew Benintendi is the least under-the-radar outfielder out there
Andrew Benintendi might be the only player on the Kansas City Royals they can trade with much value. In the final year of his contract before hitting free agency, he’s the kind of young outfielder who will benefit greatly from a strong finish to the 2022 season.
So far, Benintendi has been the hottest Royals hitter this year. It’s looking like the Royals’ decision to acquire him prior to last year was a somewhat wasted move as they did very little in the standings since he joined them.
This summer, we should all expect him to get heavily shopped. The Braves would be a great fit for him. Benintendi hasn’t been exceptional in any one offensive category throughout his career. Instead, he relies on hitting for a good average, reaching base safely regularly, and occasionally popping a home run.
Also capable of playing all three outfield positions—but best-suited in a corner spot—he’s someone the Braves can move around their outfield as they see fit. He may not fly under the radar quite as low as some of the other trade candidates on this list. If he continues to hit like he has early on for Kansas City, Atlanta may have a much tougher time paying the price for this rental.