1 perfect Braves trade target from each of the biggest potential sellers

Braves trade target from the Kansas City Royals: RHP Scott Barlow

Because of the injuries to Fried, Wright and Ian Anderson this season, and while Michael Soroka still hasn’t made his way back to the big-league roster, much of the early discussion about potential Braves trade targets has centered on starting pitchers. When you take a longer-term outlook on the situation, however, the bullpen might actually be a more pressing need.

Particularly with Tyler Matzek starting the year and being on the IL for quite some time as he works his way back from surgery, the Braves bullpen hasn’t been as reliable as they’d hoped. That’s been especially true on the back end with both A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias, who missed time in his own right, struggling quite a bit to this point in the year.

When the Braves look at the Royals, the most eye-popping potential trade target would obviously be Aroldis Chapman, who’s been enjoying a bounce-back year after signing a one-year deal with Kansas City. Instead, though, Scott Barlow is the better option for Atlanta.

The 30-year-old righty has appeared in 15 games for the Royals this season, posting a 4.11 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP while accruing four saves. Those numbers actually don’t tell the story of how good he’s been overall, though. Outside of two outings against the Rangers in which he gave up three earned runs in each, he’s only allowed one other earned run all year, including giving up no runs and just four hits and six total baserunners in his last eight appearances.

Barlow has been lights-out for the two years prior in Kansas City as well and could be a huge addition to the Braves bullpen to help bolster the back end with more depth and a high-quality veteran.