The case for and against Braves making a move at MLB trade deadline

Pros of Atlanta Braves not making a move at MLB trade deadline

One pro that really stands out by not making a move at the deadline is it would give the team great confidence as is. It would be like Anthopoulos saying, “Oh, you’re all good. No need for an upgrade.” As if this team needed any more confidence, getting it from their general manager would only certainly help. I think the other key part is the Braves are getting healthier as well.

See, Max Fried will be back soon to rejoin the rotation. One would think Kyle Wright will be back at some point as well. All the while, other guys such as Michael Soroka, AJ Smith-Shawver and Kolby Allard have pitched decently at times in between starts featuring Bryce Elder, Charlie Morton and Spencer Strider. As long as AJ Minter doesn’t go down in the bullpen, the Braves will be just fine.

The last other pro of not making a trade is it gives the farm system more time to accumulate talent and add depth. Should there be an injury in the second half of the season, Atlanta will have the necessary resources internally to call a guy up if the Braves need to. You can’t do that if you send him over to another franchise. This is why I think there is a chance the Braves do stand pat.

And let’s take a look at the downside of not potentially making a move at the deadline for Atlanta.

Cons of Atlanta Braves not making a move at MLB trade deadline

Well, I think the downsides of not making a move are pretty substantial. First, it gives off the impression that Anthopoulos was asleep at the wheel, even though he most certainly was not. Regardless, the fanbase would react as such. While holding onto players in the minors could be great to offset injuries, what happens if the rotation or the bullpen lets you down in late October?

If the bats all go to sleep at the worst possible, well, that’s just terrible luck. Given how dominant the Braves offense has been, you would just have to live with that worst-case scenario. If the rotation is suspect down the stretch, it would provide Atlanta a great chance to get got by an inferior opponent in October. That would be awful, only to be outdone by a leaky bullpen of sorts…

And I think that right there is the most important question Anthopoulos and all invested fans need to ask: Can we live with the bullpen as is? It has gotten better as the Braves have played fantastic baseball of late, but I would be lying to you if I thought it could regularly protect one-to-three-run leads at critical points in the game. To lose in October because of the bullpen would be pure agony.

Now that we have the pros and cons of both trade deadline scenarios, what should the Braves do?