Braves: 3 Jesse Chavez replacements to trade for if reliever misses serious time

1. Kendall Graveman, Chicago White Sox

Sure, you could make the argument that the Chicago White Sox are now only six games back in the AL Central and might not be as inclined to sell at the MLB Trade Deadline as previously expected. At the same time, though, does a club that is 29-39 overall this season really have high hopes for keeping the band together?

One lesson that the in-division Guardians should’ve taught the White Sox is that there is immense value in dealing players at the trade deadline with 1.5 years remaining on their contracts. Subsequently, Kendall Graveman is one of the most likely candidates among the Southsiders to be dealt this year.

Graveman, who has bounced around a bit recently between Seattle, Houston and now Chicago, has been good at every stop. This season in 29 appearances, the 32-year-old veteran has posted a 2.86 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, absolutely looking dominant out of the White Sox bullpen.

More importantly, he’s on a contract that pays him just $8 million per season for 2023 and 2024, so it wouldn’t be a huge ask of the Braves to take all or the majority of that salary on in a trade. Bringing the veteran right-hander into the fold would strengthen the overall bullpen in Atlanta but, perhaps as an added advantage, would also give Brian Snitker more flexibility at the back-end of the ‘pen given the inconsistency of Raisel Iglesias of late, should that continue.