Braves rumors: 3 rental pitchers Atlanta should trade for at the deadline

The Atlanta Braves are expected to be without Max Fried and Kyle Wright until late July at the earliest. Who could they trade for?

Alex Anthopoulos is a smart general manager. He’s unlikely to overpay for a rental option, especially at pitcher. Hurlers are unpredictable, for the most part. Look no further than Atlanta’s organization.

Before the season, the Braves pitching depth was considered among the best in the sport. Since then? Injuries to Fried, Wright, Ian Anderson and more have put the Braves in a bind.

However, rental pitchers can play their role in a late-season playoff push. Atlanta, currently leading the NL East by a stable margin, certainly fits that mold. Trade season is still a few months away, but the outlook of who will buy and which teams will sell is already starting to form.

With that in mind, here are some very, very early rental options for the Braves come late July, assuming they still need pitching help at that juncture.

Braves rental target: Rich Hill is too good to pass up

Prior to Wednesday’s outing against the Detroit Tigers, I suggested Hill would be a great veteran fit in Atlanta:

"“Pittsburgh’s real competitive window isn’t far from now, so their potential fire sale is very limited. Rich Hill, an aging pitcher on an expiring contract, is a perfect candidate. Hill has a 4.35 ERA and while his velocity is limited, still has the breaking stuff combined with pitcher IQ to be a capable back-of-the-rotation option for a contender.”"

I wrote that knowing full and well that Hill was pitching on Wednesday, and that he could very well fall flat on his face. Instead, he shut out the Detroit Tigers.

Hill is in his 40’s, and for all we know could be in his final run as an MLB pitcher. What better way to go out than on a team which has a real chance at making a World Series run?

https://twitter.com/Pirates/status/1658914613293981699

Hill started on Opening Day for Pittsburgh, and has been a great resource for their young pitching staff. Ben Cherington made the right call signing him to an $8 million contract this offseason, and he’ll likely make the right decision to trade him at the deadline. The Pirates won’t re-sign Hill after the season. He’s a rental.