Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Atlanta Braves hold a 7.0-game lead in the NL East but face roster gaps that could push them toward the trade deadline.
- Alex Anthopoulos may need to trade from a deep farm system to address rotation uncertainty and offensive depth before Monday.
- Several young arms and infielders now find themselves in play as trade chips for established major-league talent.
The Atlanta Braves are in a good spot with the MLB trade deadline rapidly approaching, as they hold a seven-game lead in the NL East. But as ideal that position is, this roster is far from perfect. Their rotation is still full of question marks beyond Chris Sale; their lineup, even with Ronald Acuña Jr. back healthy, feels a bat short, and they could even use a bullpen arm, too.
Alex Anthopoulos should be eager to make several trades to fill these needs by Monday's deadline, and that would mean parting with some exciting young players. These four in particular feel likely to be dealt sometime between now and Aug. 3.
RHP JR Ritchie
The Braves need more certainty in their rotation, and that could lead to Anthopoulos looking to trade a young pitcher like JR Ritchie in a deal that'd land them an established arm. Atlanta shouldn't be eager to trade Ritchie, a 23-year-old with good stuff who was recently one of the best prospects in their system, but there are a couple of reasons why it's fair to assume he's very available right now.
First, Ritchie probably isn't ready enough to start games for a contending team. He's shown good stuff in his brief big-league career, but his 14 percent walk rate suggests that his command isn't where it needs to be yet. Second, the Braves have already optioned Ritchie to the Minors four times this season. If they were to do so again, he'd need to go through waivers. Knowing that this makes Ritchie very difficult to promote to the Majors again this season, Atlanta might be even more willing to trade the right-hander as a centerpiece in a package for a high-end starter.
RHP AJ Smith-Shawver
If Ritchie is in the Braves organization after the trade deadline, that's probably because AJ Smith-Shawver, who just returned from Tommy John surgery, was dealt away instead. I'm not sure the Braves would be comfortable trading Smith-Shawver and Ritchie, but the former finds himself in virtually the exact same spot as Ritchie right now.
Smith-Shawver is a former top prospect who has shown flashes in his big-league opportunities, but probably isn't a guy the Braves want to be starting games for them in a pennant race. If they can use him as a centerpiece in a deal for a starter that can be their 1B to Sale's 1A, it would not be surprising to see them go that route.
SS Alex Lodise
The Braves' farm system is miles better now than it was at this time last year, and Alex Lodise's emergence has a lot to do with that. Lodise struggled in his first taste of professional baseball after being drafted last year, but has really emerged this season, hitting 21 home runs and posting an .826 OPS while stealing 15 bases in High-A. He's now a top-five prospect in their organization, per MLB Pipeline.
As exciting a prospect as Lodise is, though, he's not even the best shortstop in the Braves' system (Tate Southesine has that honor), and he's far from debuting in the Majors. Atlanta will need to give someone away of note to acquire high-end talent, and Lodise is good enough and expendable enough for a win-now team like the Braves to flip for a needle-mover.
LHP Cam Caminiti
As exciting a prospect as Lodise is, the Braves have even better ones to offer. They probably should stay away from trading Eric Hartman, the crown jewel of the system amid a breakout season, but Cam Caminiti, the No. 79 prospect on FanSided's updated list, should generate tons of interest and could very well get dealt away.
As mentioned above, the Braves have a ton of organizational starting pitching depth; they just need better arms in their current rotation. Even if the Braves were to trade Caminiti, they'd have Owen Murphy, Briggs McKenzie, Lucas Braun and the recently drafted Jensen Hirschkorn, among others, remaining their farm system — and that isn't even including guys like Ritchie, Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep.
Second, Caminiti is a ways away from debuting in the Majors. He has outstanding stuff, but his performance at the High-A level this season has been uneven, and again, there're a ton of pitchers seemingly ahead of him on the Braves' depth chart. If Atlanta can use him as a centerpiece in a deal for a star, there's no reason to believe they won't.
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