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3 Braves trade targets Atlanta must avoid at all costs and 1 risk to take

By Cody Williams

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 08: Aroldis Chapman #54 of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the ninth inning of a major league baseball game at Oracle Park on April 08, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 08: Aroldis Chapman #54 of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the ninth inning of a major league baseball game at Oracle Park on April 08, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Braves trade targets, Dylan Carlson
Dylan Carlson, St. Louis Cardinals (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /

Braves rumors: Dylan Carlson could work out, but doesn’t offer sure help now

FanSided’s own Mark Powell suggested that the Braves could look to get out from under the burden of Marcell Ozuna — even though he is showing signs of life in May — by also helping out the St. Louis Cardinals make their outfielder depth a little less crowded by looking to make a trade for Dylan Carlson.

It makes total sense why that would pop up as an option. Carlson is an immediate upgrade in left field (or anywhere in the outfield) from Ozuna and would also give more at the plate too, not that that would be asking a lot given how mightily we’ve seen Ozuna struggle throughout the year.

Though it makes sense on paper, though, if the Braves are going to try and plug the hole in left field at the trade deadline, then Dylan Carlson just isn’t the answer for this club.

Carlson would make a ton of sense in so many situations, but Atlanta just isn’t one of them. This season with St. Louis, he’s slashing only .235/.283/.353. Those numbers are only slightly worse than what he did a season ago and 2021 (.266/.343/.437) has looked like an outlier to this point.

At just 24 years old, though, the belief remains that Carlson could continue to grow and become a stud. In fact, that might even be a smart bet. The Braves, however, should be looking for a win-now move if they try to trade for an upgrade over Ozuna in left field. As of right now, Carlson doesn’t move the needle enough to make that type of investment in him.

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