Alex Anthopoulos misses out on an obvious Braves outfield upgrade via trade

On paper, the Atlanta Braves' outfield is as good as any in the majors, with Jarred Kelenic, Michael Harris II, and Ronald Acuña Jr. slotted to line up in the outfield from left to right. There are some issues with it, though.

First, Kelenic's first season in Atlanta was a bit of a bust. Sure, he hit 15 home runs, but he had an underwhelming .679 OPS and struggled so mightily in the second half to the point where he lost his starting spot. He started just eight games in September and did not appear in a single postseason game.

Second, Acuña's availability is far from certain as he recovers from a torn ACL. In fact, it sounds like Opening Day is in question, at the very least. If Acuña has to miss any time, adding another outfield is of the utmost importance, considering the fact that Eli White would be their starting right fielder. His uncertainty, combined with Kelenic's rough first season in Atlanta, makes it so that adding an outfielder is even more important.

No, the Braves were never going to be in on Juan Soto, but they did clear money with their early offseason moves and seemingly had the prospect capital to make at least one move to bolster the outfield.

Unfortunately, based on what David O'Brien of The Athletic had to say, it sounds as if the Braves missed out on what would've been an ideal target to address the outfield.

A report broke on Tuesday suggesting that Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward was close to getting traded. Once that news broke, the Braves felt like a natural fit. Unfortunately, a Ward deal to Atlanta doesn't appear to be in the cards - at least not yet.

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Alex Anthopoulos misses out on Taylor Ward as trade rumors swirl

O'Brien lists several reasons as to why Ward would make sense for Atlanta. He'd come with two years of fairly cheap club control, giving the Braves ultimate flexibility. He had a .873 OPS against left-handed pitching last season, making him an ideal platoon partner with the left-handed hitting Kelenic once Acuña was healthy if Atlanta chose to go down that path. Thirdly, he happens to play for the Angels, the organization that has Perry Minasian - a former Anthopoulos disciple - as the GM. Anthopoulos and Minasian have made several trades with each other over the years, most notably the one that sent Jorge Soler to Anaheim.

He might not be a big name like Luis Robert or Kyle Tucker, but Ward would've been an excellent fit in Atlanta. Not only were the factors that O'Brien noted important to keep in mind, but Ward set career highs with 25 home runs and 75 RBI. He did that in an Angels lineup that included little to no protection around him. Going from the Angels to the Braves would open the door to an even bigger breakout.

Ward strikes out a ton but has been an above-average bat in each of the last four seasons according to OPS+, and ranked in the 84th percentile in OAA, according to Baseball Savant as well. For a player who'd likely slot in the lower third of the Braves lineup, it's hard to envision them doing much better.

With Ward not appearing to be an option for Atlanta, the question is where do they go? Do they spend money on a free agent like Teoscar Hernandez or Anthony Santander? Do they make a different trade? Do they pursue a lower-end outfielder just as a placeholder until Acuña is healthy? Regardless of what they do, the Braves should do something to ensure Eli White isn't an everyday player in late March.