The Atlanta Braves are well on their way to contending again but the roster isn’t perfect. Which trade targets should the Braves already have an eye on?
Everything that we thought could work for the Atlanta Braves to make the club a World Series contender again in the 2023 season has been on display to start the year. At 19-10 as of May 2, the club has a three-game lead in the NL East — a division where only one team is below .500 — and has a roster comprised of more All-Stars than you can count on one hand.
Despite that, this team clearly heading toward contention once again and eyeing another crack at the Fall Classic isn’t without its faults. Marcell Ozuna is the most obvious (and perhaps painful) of the bunch as the team continues to search for ways to move on from him and the problem he creates in left field. On top of that, the bullpen — undoubtedly due in large part to the litany of injuries to the likes of Raisel Iglesias, Tyler Matzek and so on — has an issue with its depth that could stand to be remedied.
While the MLB Trade Deadline is still months away, the Braves have already shown they’re in a spot where they should be putting trade targets on their radar.
There are three players in particular who could be on the block and would help this club, but there’s one potential target that Atlanta should also avoid.
Braves rumors: Scott Barlow would be a perfect trade target for bullpen depth
For as bad as the White Sox have been to the point that baseball fans can’t stop talking about the disappointment in Chicago, they actually aren’t in last place in the AL Central — that title would belong to the Kansas City Royals, a club that is a game behind the Southsiders in the standings as of May 2.
There is certainly not a lot going right for the Royals right now, but one of their strongest suits has been their bullpen. Aroldis Champman, who the club landed for peanuts, is going to be one of the biggest trade chips coming into the deadline. The Braves, however, could pay much less than Chapman is going to cost to fix the issue with bullpen depth by targeting Scott Barlow in Kansas City.
When you just look at the numbers this season for Barlow, you might not like to see the 6.10 ERA and 1.74 WHIP. Who would? However, when you dig a little deeper, Barlow has appeared in 10 games this season and allowed seven total earned runs and 11 hits. All but one of those runs and five of those hits came over two outings against the Rangers. Outside of that, he has 8.2 innings pitched while allowing just six hits and one earned run — which incidentally was given upagainst the Braves.
Barlow has quietly been a stud in the Royals bullpen over the past two seasons, posting a 2.42 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 2021 and bettering that last season with a 2.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Given that his numbers in the 2023 season are largely the result of two bad outings against one opponent, he has the makings of a player that could really strengthen the Atlanta bullpen.
Braves rumors: Brent Rooker could be a trade target to fix the LF issue
Suffice it to say that trading with the Oakland A’s has worked out extremely well for the Atlanta Braves over the past two years as Matt Olson has been a legitimate All-Star for his hometown team since he was traded and Sean Murphy has been well on his way to his first-ever All-Star Game appearance in 2023 after being dealt to the Bravos in the offseason.
Why not head back to that well, then?
As mentioned, the Marcell Ozuna problem in left field is persisting and the Braves could look to take advantage of perhaps the lone bright spot on the A’s so far this season, Brent Rooker. That is, of course, if Oakland is willing to part with the 28-year-old outfielder.
Rooker, in his first season with the Athletics after sporadic time with the Twins, Padres and Royals over the past three seasons, has been a fireball at the plate to begin the year. In 22 games and 68 at-bats, Rooker already has nine home runs and 22 RBI to his credit with a staggering 1.245 OPS on the year along with only 16 strikeouts compared to 14 walks.
That’s pretty much the antithesis of the net-zero that Ozuna has been giving Atlanta to begin the season. Given that he’s not stuck anywhere, the A’s could be looking to move Rooker as an asset to again try and deepen their farm system. If that should be the case, what he’s done this season so far makes him a worthwhile target for a possible Braves trade.
Braves rumors: If the Cards don’t want Tyler O’Neill, Atlanta should happily trade for him
Tyler O’Neill has been the subject of plenty of controversy amid the inauspicious start for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2023 season. His lack of hustle saw the outfielder benched early in the season and, while the effort hasn’t necessarily been an issue, the tension has remained. That’s also only been worsened given the struggles in St. Louis after a 10-19 start to the year.
With the Braves clearly needing anything to get out from under untenable weight of Marcell Ozuna at this point, though, perhaps they could look to try and take O’Neill off of the Cardinals’ hands. It’s probably the biggest realistic swing that Atlanta could take, but it would make a ton of sense.
O’Neill certainly isn’t having his best season in 2023 to start, slashing .241/.300/.361 with 30 strikeouts in 83 at-bats to this point. But the speedy power-hitter does have six extra-base hits on the season, meaning that more than one-fourth of his hits on the year have been for multiple bags. Moreover, given that the now-27-year-old posted a .912 OPS with 34 home runs and 26 doubles in just 2021, there is clearly more left in the tank.
Even if his numbers aren’t blowing anyone away, even hitting for some pop and above the Mendoza line is an upgrade over Ozuna. But with the upside that O’Neill could provide and, given the situation in St. Louis and what that could mean for his price in a trade, it’s an option that the Braves would have to consider.
Braves rumors: Atlanta can’t bank on a Paul Blackburn trade
Back to the Braves’ favorite trade partner of late, the A’s, but this time with a player that Atlanta shouldn’t be all that gung-ho about trading for, even if there is a market for him should Oakland look to sell off pieces ahead of the trade deadline. That’s right-handed starter Paul Blackburn.
The 29-year-old hurler was an All-Star for the Athletics a season ago before eventually being shut down with an injury in August amid another lost season for the struggling (and on-the-move) franchise. His 21 starts were the most of his career and he finished with the second-best ERA (4.28) and tied for the best WHIP (1.26) of his career to this point, an impressive showing for a player who essentially doubled the most innings he’d thrown in an MLB season.
Despite all of that, we have just a one-year sample size for Blackburn, which is always a scary proposition for a team like the Braves in contention to bank on when it comes to any trade. Moreover, Blackburn was shut down at the end of last season due to injury and began the 2023 campaign on the IL as well. He’s yet to see the field for the A’s this season as May arrives.
Yes, Atlanta could very much be in the market to bolster the rotation given the injuries and inconsistencies on the back end. Having said that, there will be better options than Blackburn. Even if the Braves feel like they can fleece Oakland yet again, the righty just isn’t a safe enough bet to give up assets for.