Braves: 3 trade deadline surprises that could await Alex Anthopoulos

3) Braves trade deadline surprise: An early July trade for Andrew Benintendi

The Kansas City Royals have already started trading player. First baseman Carlos Santana went to the Seattle Mariners to kick off the trade deadline season a few weeks early.

The Royals are officially in sell mode. Nobody on their roster might be able to help a contender more than Andrew Benintendi.

How does Benintendi fit in with the Braves? He’d give them Gold Glove defense in left field while adding a left-handed bat and some nice OBP numbers to the lineup. The Braves could use all three of those attributes. Trading for outfielders helped them achieve their ultimate goal last year. They can start the trade deadline surprises by making an early trade for Benintendi in July.

Kansas City will definitely have far better offers for him than they could have ever received for Santana. He is someone that has played his way into becoming one of this summer’s most desirable trade assets.

If Anthopoulos really wants to reward the fans with the most pleasant surprises, he won’t wait long to acquire Benintendi. The Braves still have the New York Mets to catch after all. They should get started as soon as possible. Will it all begin with a deal for Benintendi or could they even have another outfielder in mind?