Braves rumors: 3 moves Atlanta must avoid despite injury woes

Braves should stand pat with current rotation

Now, notice I’m NOT saying Atlanta shouldn’t call up a starting pitcher if they’re unhappy with their current bunch. Jared Shuster, for one, looks like he could use more time in the minor leagues in similar fashion to Vaughn Grissom at a different position.

But I digress.

Just last week I noted that the Mets should be in the running for some pitching help. With Justin Verlander injured, there’s a gaping hole atop their rotation. Suddenly, the Braves are in the same boat with Max Fried and Kyle Wright injured. Could they make a deal with a familiar trade partner?

Atlanta sent William Contreras to the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason to make room for Sean Murphy. That deal has worked out for both sides so far. Perhaps another trade for pitching help — something Milwaukee has a lot of — could make sense?

If in a few months Atlanta’s rotation is still struggling, then sure. But the Braves farm system is ranked low as is, and they should avoid making it even worse. Atlanta has young pitchers like Ian Anderson, Shuster and more who are MLB-ready. Trading any of them, or a player like Grissom, would only hurt the Braves in the long run.