Will the Atlanta Braves be sellers at the trade deadline just over a month from now? Will they buy? Will they run the course with what they have? At this point, it is hard to imagine if they even know the answer to those questions.
GM Alex Anthopoulos made the strong promise a couple weeks ago that the Braves will not sell at the deadline but some MLB insiders seem to believe it is still a possibility. No matter whiich route the Braves organization takes, they have reasons to justify their actions. However, prediciting what they are going to do is becoming more and more difficult.
While ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan believe slugger Marcell Ozuna could be moved in late July, another MLB Insider didn't even spend time predicting trades involving Atlanta. Bob Nightengale of USA Today posted an article on Wednesday morning discussing who would be buyers and who would be sellers at the 2025 trade deadline. The Atlanta Braves were not mentioned once.
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Braves' many options present challenges as deadline approaches
There are most likely two reasons why Nightengale left the Braves' name out of his latest piece. It could be because he believes the team will remain idle and finish out 2025 with their current roster. This is still an option because on paper the team is built to win, they are just simply underperforming.
Nightengale could also have no clue what Atlanta is currently thinking. The Braves have Ronald Acuña Jr. healthy again and competing at his MVP level. Drake Baldwin is among the favorites to win NL Rookie of the Year. Spencer Strider is starting to find himself again after returning from injury and Jurickson Profar's return from suspension is right around the corner.
Braves playoff chances are still few and far between
As great as all this sounds for the Braves, Chris Sale is on the IL. Superstars Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Michael Harris II have all posted almost career low numbers as the heart and soul of the Atlanta lineup.
After losing to the New York Mets for the first time this season on Wednesday, the Braves are still just 37-42 and are on the outside looking in, with binoculars, at the postseason picture. Leaving the Braves out of his trade deadline discussion made sense for Nightengale. It just confirms that if even MLB insiders do not have a clue which direction the Braves are heading, fans should buckle up and be prepared for anything.