3 Braves trade targets Alex Anthopoulos could steal from the A’s again

2. Richard Lovelady could helps the Braves bullpen tremendously

All told, the Braves current situation likely dictates that, if they are going to target the pitching market at the deadline, it’s more likely that they pursue options to upgrade the bullpen before dipping their toes into the starter pools. Luckily for them, the A’s also have an option for the club to upgrade their relievers too.

To be quite frank, when you see that Richard Lovelady has a 2.35 ERA on the season playing for a team in Oakland that has allowed 390 runs before the end of May — 84 more than the second-worst team in the majors in that regard, the Rockies — it should stand out. He’s been one of the few arms the Athletics have been able to turn to that hasn’t gotten consistently rocked.

Lovelady has made 17 appearances for the A’s this season with the southpaw going 15.1 innings with the aforementioned ERA and an impressive 0.98 WHIP. He’s allowed just five total runs on the season with a 16/7 K/BB ration for the year and has simply been a solid lefty out of the bullpen.

Incidentally, the reason that the Lovelady is with the Athletics is because he was waived by the Braves after the spring. Having said that, Alex Anthopoulos could admit his mistake in letting him go and try to work out a budget-friendly deal that could bring him back to Atlanta.

With the way that AJ Minter has mightily struggled this season and with Tyler Matzek still recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Braves could use another solid lefty in the bullpen to help them close out games. And if they’re looking to Oakland, Lovelady is by far the best option presented to them, especially after posting a solid 3.48 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with the Royals in his last major-league season in 2021.