Braves: 3 familiar faces to trade for not named Joc Pederson or Jorge Soler
By Mark Powell
Former Braves to trade for: Drew Smyly
Drew Smyly is hardly who you would consider an Atlanta Braves legend, but he’s a back-end starting pitcher that the team could certainly use given their lack of depth at the moment. Injuries to Kyle Wright and Max Fried have left the Braves rotation thin as ever, with Charlie Morton, Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder left to pick up the pieces. Jared Shuster, AJ Smith-Shawver and Mike Soroka have failed to fill the void consistently.
Smyly has proven to be a solid mid-rotation starting pitcher the last few years in Chicago. The only issue with this match is that the Cubs might not want to sell. As previously mentioned, though, if there were ever a year for a trade between two buyers, this is it. The Cubs have a player the Braves want, and it’s likely the same on the other end of the phone.
Smyly is 7-4 with a 3.38 ERA so far this season. He has experience as a starter and a relief pitcher, so should the Braves need help in that department come the postseason, they know who to turn to.
Wright and Fried are expected to be back shortly after the All-Star Break, or around the trade deadline. As bright as that outlook sounds, injury returns are always bumpy. Trading for Smyly or another starting pitcher is obviously on Anthopoulos’ to-do list.