This Braves-Royals trade could answer Atlanta’s looming question

The Kansas City Royals are unlikely to trade Aroldis Chapman just yet, but perhaps another relief pitcher could head to the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves have been getting by just fine without the likes of Raisel Iglesias, Tyler Matzek and Lucas Luetge, but eventually that lack of bullpen depth could hurt them.

Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos will eventually make a trade for another relief arm, if not two, but the questions is whether that move will come now or at the deadline. Late July is months away, and the Braves are in great position to take a decisive NL East advantage.

Yet, bullpen depth and left field are two vacancies that need filled. Let’s address one of those areas of concern now.

A Royals-Braves trade for Scott Barlow

FanSided’s Cody Williams listed Barlow as a potential trade candidate. Barlow would slide right into the back end of Atlanta’s bullpen, and though his ERA may look less than ideal, those numbers are misleading.

"“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 up against the Braves.”"

But what would this trade look like? Given Barlow’s consistency, the Braves may have to pony up.

The Royals net two prospects in the Braves top-30 in this trade. At 22 years old, Schwellenbach is close to the major leagues and has a chance to start. His three-pitch mix is deadly, and his fastball can reach 99 MPH. With the right coaching, he could contribute in the big leagues soon.

MLB Pipeline suggests that the Nebraska alum can be used as either a starting pitcher or reliever, which bodes well for the Royals:

"“While he was a reliever for that one year at Nebraska, Schwellenbach has a three-pitch mix and a feel for how to use it that give him the chance to start. It’s big stuff, with a fastball that topped out at 99 mph and sat in the mid-90s in shorter stints and a low-80s slider that can miss bats. He also has a mid-80s changeup that features a lot of sink. All three pitches are at least above-average.”"

It’s a nice swing for an Atlanta team which needs pitching. Considering Barlow has a year of arbitration left on his deal, he should remain relatively cheap. That’s why it’ll cost the Braves in prospects.