Braves Rumors: Cardinals trade fit, Vaughn Grissom surge, 2 looming threats

Braves rumors: 2 looming threats to Braves World Series chances

The Atlanta Braves have World Series aspirations. They have done a great job of building a solid corps of players that could help the team contend for years to come. They did win a World Series in 2021 and managed to bounce back late last season to win the NL East away from the New York Mets. So far, the Braves look like one of the favorites to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy.

But who could prevent the organization from winning their fifth World Series title?

FanSided contributor Zach Pressnell listed out two teams that could stand in Atlanta’s way of winning the World Series. Those teams are the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers.

In regards to the Rays, Pressnell notes that the Rays and Braves are evenly matched regarding their batting orders. But when it comes to why Tampa Bay has an edge over them, it’s the starting pitching, with the Rays having Shane McClanahan, who leads the majors with a 2.12 ERA and 11 wins. As for the Braves, Pressnell mentions that the Braves are waiting on Max Fried and Kyle Wright to return from the injured list.

As for the Rangers, they have the best scoring offense in the majors, and it’s not particularly close.

"“The Rangers don’t have a hitter that is as great as Acuna has been, but they have a few that are close,” writes Pressnell. “The Rangers are balanced and complete offensively, where they have four players in double digits for home runs and eight players with over 30 RBIs.”"

As of the morning of June 21, the Rangers have recorded 427 RBI, 445 runs scored, and 698 hits through 73 games, which are all the most in the majors. There are still three months left in the season, so it will be interesting to see if Texas can maintain this offensive production. But so far, they look like a major threat to any team hoping to be the last team standing in MLB at season’s end.