Braves Rumors: Tigers trade target, Kyle Wright’s injury, rotation reinforcements

Braves Rumors: 3 Tigers players to target in trades

With Atlanta facing off against the lowly Detroit Tigers, it’s only natural to think about certain players the Braves could acquire from their current opponent at the trade deadline. While the AL Central is really, really bad, Tigers general manager Scott Harris is expected to trade away some pieces at the deadline. Detroit is not close to competing for an AL Pennant.

While Eduardo Rodriguez was the Tigers primary trade chip prior to his injury, expect Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos to target some cheaper players, if any on this MoTown squad. FanSided’s Cody Williams outlined three such players that would fit the Braves current needs:

1. Jason Foley: “Alex Anthopoulos has proven over the years that he has an affinity for trade targets with ample club control remaining so that he can lock them into early extensions. That could make Foley enticing while also giving Atlanta an elite bullpen trifecta of Foley, Minter and Iglesias to work in and close out big games together.”
2. Michael Lorenzen: “Max Fried is coming back, but there are still some concerns about if or when Kyle Wright will be back and, if the Braves are aggressive at the trade deadline, then Jared Shuster could potentially be moved. Thus, going after someone like Lorenzen, even as a rental, would do wonders for solidifying the top five in the rotation as the Braves look to achieve their World Series goals.”
3. Matthew Boyd: “The underlying numbers say that Boyd has actually been much better than his season-long stats indicate. For the season, he has an xERA (expected ERA) of 4.02, per Fangraphs, which indicates that his stuff has been much better than the results it has ultimately produced. With better defense and better protection from the offense like what the Braves could offer, his stats could undoubtedly improve a great deal.”

Foley and Lorenzen should be the two players the Braves prioritize, with Boyd potentially serving as a throw-in if healthy. Foley has plenty of years of control left on his deal, as Williams mentioned, so he would be far more expensive than Lorenzen, who would only cost Anthopoulos a low-level prospect or two.