Braves: 3 trade deadline targets from surprise sellers
By Tim Boyle
The Atlanta Braves can take advantage of potential buyers becoming sellers by acquiring any of these three players.
The Atlanta Braves have been in line to be trade deadline buyers for all of 2022. Around the end of May and throughout June, it looked like there was less they needed to add.
The Braves look like one of the league’s most unstoppable teams. While clubs like the Los Angeles Angels were completely falling apart, they were roaring forward and challenging the rest of the National League for the top spot. While still a little outside of it, there remains a potential to get even better.
One way to do this is to scoreboard watch for more than just their own playoff hopes. There are several teams heading in the wrong direction. And if these previous buyers become sellers, the Braves could look to trade for any of these three players.
1) Potential Braves trade deadline target: A Joc Pederson reunion
History repeating itself is often a term used in a negative connotation. When it comes to trading for Joc Pederson at the trade deadline, it’s nothing but good vibes for the Braves.
The club added him last season in a deal with the Chicago Cubs. He went on to hit .249/.325/.428 for them as part of a crew of outfielders they brought into the mix mid-year to make up for what was a shallow group beyond the infield dirt on an everyday basis.
Pederson was huge for the Braves in the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers where he smacked a pair of home runs and batted .429. This year he is a member of the San Francisco Giants that look to be a few players short of competing with the best. Their record is slipping and with plenty of questions about the players they do have, the Giants are potential sellers if they don’t turn things around quickly.
The need for Pederson isn’t quite as urgent as it was last year but the circumstances aren’t too far off. Pederson, while hitting for a ton of power this season, could be a left-handed depth piece for Atlanta. Think of him as a preventative measure against more injuries to their outfield piling up.