2 Braves trade rumors we hope are true, 1 we hope doesn’t happen

As the Atlanta Braves near the MLB trade deadline, there’s increasing chatter that a deal might be likely.

Atlanta is one of the best teams in baseball, so there’s an argument to be made that standing pat, or making small deals to improve the roster, is the best bet for Alex Anthopoulos and a front office which isn’t used to sitting on their hands.

However, it’s a credit to Anthopoulos and management for building a team with very few holes. That hasn’t stopped the increasingly-wild trade rumors from including the Braves, a natural contender which can only get better on paper by adding some of the best available players on the market.

Braves Rumors: Atlanta should trade for Adam Duvall

The Boston Red Sox have been on fire since the All-Star Break, making it a tough call for the Boston Red Sox to trade impactful players like Adam Duvall. Per The Athletic’s Chad Jennings, Chaim Bloom is still considering moving Duvall, while the likes of Alex Verdugo are off the table.

“The team is at least considering trading Adam Duvall (they would commit to Jarren Duran in center field, while keeping Rob Refsnyder for right-handed balance in the outfield), and there is still some debate about whether to trade James Paxton,” Jennings wrote.

Duvall would provide the Braves some much-needed outfield depth. He’s a former Gold Glove-caliber player who can field the corner outfield spots and even some center field if needed. He’s also expendable from Boston’s perspective, while the Sox could use some pitching. If anything, this is a contender for contender trade that makes some sense.