The Atlanta Braves entered the season with a renewed hope of returning to the World Series. Today, this aspiration appears to have already fallen into jeopardy. The Braves are 0-5 to start the year, Jurickson Profar is suspended for 80 games after testing positive for PEDs and Reynaldo Lopez will be missing some time with an apparent shoulder injury.
Profar had been Alex Anthopoulos’ top offseason prize after a rather quiet winter. With Profar out for an extended period, the Braves are left with Michael Harris II, Jarred Kelenic, Bryan De La Cruz, Stuart Fairchild, Alex Verdugo and Eli White as viable outfield options.
At a glance, it may be fair to say the corner outfield options on this list aren’t encouraging. Ronald Acuna Jr. is expected to return before long, but with the Braves’ offense lagging the league, expecting the 2023 NL MVP to light a fire under Atlanta’s slumping batting order upon return might be too much to ask for.
If the Braves are going to survive this rough period, they may need a transformative bat to step in, the likes of which they thought they had in Profar. What can the Braves find on the market that might be suitable? Let’s give these three potential trade targets a look.
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3. Masataka Yoshida
To start, Masataka Yoshida is currently on the IL, having undergone shoulder surgery late last year. However, he has resumed baseball activities, indicating he should be able to return to the diamond sometime soon.
Over his first two years since coming to the MLB from Japan, Yoshida posted a rather intriguing slash line of .285/.343/.433/.755 with 25 home runs through 915 at-bats. When it comes to contact hitting, Yoshida is one of the best. His whiff and strikeout rates are in the mid-to-high 90th percentile according to Baseball Savant.
His power numbers aren’t astounding, but in Atlanta, Yoshida’s power would play better with a possible 20-home run potential. As it stands, Yoshida’s left-handed bat would offer the Braves a vast improvement over Kelenic’s. His prowess at the plate could provide the run-scoring spark the Braves are woefully lacking.
Yoshida is currently being shopped as a trade piece by the Boston Red Sox, who seem inexplicably eager to dump his remaining salary. With top prospect Roman Anthony ready to make the jump, there doesn’t appear to be any room on the roster for Yoshida to have an everyday spot in the lineup. Another reason they are shopping Yoshida is because of his poor defense in the outfield.
With Devers now the primary DH, Yoshida will be forced to return to the left field; a position he spent just one inning defending last season. This may be a deterrence to the Braves, who may not want to pay the rest of Yoshida’s salary when accounting for his sub-par defense. If this is the case, there are a couple of other interesting names.
2. Jesús Sánchez
Like with Yoshida, Jesús Sánchez is also spending some time on the IL and would not be an immediate solution. Sánchez suffered an oblique strain in mid-March; however, he is expected to return in around two weeks and has staggering upside potential that could benefit the Braves for years to come.
Sánchez frequently makes hard contact and produces stellar exit velocities. Despite this, his results are not ideal. In 2024, Sánchez hit .252/.313/.417/.731 with 18 home runs in 489 at-bats. His left-handed bat would boost these numbers in Atlanta, however, his strikeout total prevented him from posting an ideal on-base percentage last season. If the Braves could shore up this issue, they might turn what is a decent hitter into a feared slugger. But power isn’t the only perk the Braves would receive in trading for Sánchez.
The Miami Marlins’ right fielder also stole 16 bags in 18 attempts last year, showing a knack for swiping bases with a high success rate. Given Miami’s lack of strength in the NL, it would be safe to assume a few key pieces, such as Sánchez, will be traded by the deadline.
1. Lars Nootbaar
Among the best inexpensive trade candidates the Braves can afford both monetarily and trade package-wise is Lars Nootbaar. The St. Louis Cardinals’ left-fielder isn’t known for staggering power or electrifying batting averages; however, the on-base percentages of .367 and .342 he posted the past two years have been exceptional.
Nootbaar posted a stat line of .244/.342/.417/.758 with 12 home runs in 348 at-bats during an injury-shortened 2024 campaign. Despite the low home run total (Nootbaar topped out at 14 home runs twice in his career), Nootbaar’s hard-hit rate and average exit velocity were shockingly high, placing him in the 91st and 88th percentiles, respectively, according to Baseball Savant. This could mean there is more to Nootbaar’s bat than meets the eye.
Nootbaar is off to a red-hot start this season, hitting .421 with two home runs in his first 19 at-bats. His .560 on-base percentage places him fifth overall in OBP. It is still early, but all signs are pointing to a breakout year for Nootbaar.
The Cardinals have made no secret about their attempted rebuild. GM John Moleziak tried and failed to unload a single player this past offseason or shed payroll in the process. Instead, the Cardinals engaged in an arbitration battle against Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan. Nootbaar won his $2.95 million asking price while Donovan lost. This might prove to be a motive in moving Nootbaar this season.