Braves Rumors: 4 trade targets to address 3 biggest needs

Braves Trade Targets: Relief Pitchers

4. Jordan Hicks, St. Louis Cardinals

Particularly with the recent struggles of Raisel Iglesias, the Braves could be looking for another closer option or, at the very least, someone to aid Iglesias and AJ Minter at the back end of the bullpen. And if they want to really roll the dice to find that solution, then the selling Cards might have an answer with Jordan Hicks.

The flamethrowing righty has been a curious case in St. Louis with a ton of pop and sizzle but highly varying results as a reliever. With that said, his flashes remain extremely enticing and he’s really settled in nicely of late with a 3.09 ERA over his last 11 appearances after a rough start. More importantly, though, if the Cardinals are looking to sell at the deadline, Hicks is a prime candidate on an expiring contract, which could make him relatively affordable for the Braves to pursue.

3. Kendall Graveman, Chicago White Sox

For Kendall Graveman, it’s a similar situation to what Hicks could offer in terms of a flexible late-inning role in the bullpen. Having said that, he offers much more certainty than Hicks would given his level of performance.

The 32-year-old in Chicago has appeared in 34 games already this season and has performed beautifully with a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP to his credit. He’s been consistent over the last four years as a reliable veteran arm coming out of the ‘pen. Importantly, he’s also got just one year after 2023 left on his contract, which makes now the perfect time for the White Sox, who are almost sure to sell at this point, to deal him. The Braves should be all in on that idea and, if the price tag isn’t too crazy, he’d fit like a glove in the Atlanta bullpen.

2. Scott Barlow, Kansas City Royals

Sure, Aroldis Chapman is an option for Atlanta if they want to swing for the fences to address the need in the bullpen. But they don’t necessarily have to eye that type of blockbuster name at the deadline, even on the Royals. That’s because Scott Barlow would make sense in his own right.

The 30-year-old righty still has one year of arbitration left after this season but has proven to be a solid right-handed arm over his career. He does have a 3.90 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season, but posted ERAs of 2.42 and 2.18 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. That’ll play for the Braves bullpen as another guy who could fill a number of roles in relief for the NL East leaders.

1. Daniel Bard, Colorado Rockies

Back to the Rockies, it’d be hard to find a better, perhaps more cost-effective option to upgrade the Braves bullpen than Daniel Bard.

The veteran reliever has allowed just four earned runs over 25.2 innings this season, posting a 1.40 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. He’s also surprisingly been even better at Coors this season with a minuscule 0.73 ERA at home (though a 2.03 road ERA isn’t too shabby either). He has one more year after 2023 left on his contract but, at 38 years old, he would make sense as someone Colorado wants to move off from in order to get younger overall while being a player who could fill a number of roles for Atlanta.