Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Atlanta Braves have seen their once-large NL East lead shrink to just 2.5 games following a brutal recent stretch.
- Their offense now ranks last in the Majors in wRC+ since May, with multiple key hitters in deep slumps and Ronald Acuña Jr. still sidelined.
- One trade candidate emerging as the ideal solution is a shortstop from a struggling division rival whose recent performance suggests a return to All-Star form.
What started as a dream season for the Atlanta Braves has now become a four-alarm fire. After dropping two of three at home to the St. Louis Cardinals this week, Atlanta has now dropped eight of 10 and is just 10-15 overall since June 1. Their once-insurmountable lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East now sits at just 2.5 games, and at this point, it feels like that lead might evaporate entirely if Alex Anthopoulos doesn't take drastic measures ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
For the most part, those measures have been focused on the team's starting rotation, which started off the season white-hot but has come back to Earth a bit amid injuries to Spencer Strider and others. But the truth is that pitching hasn't been the Braves' problem of late; the offense, on the other hand, very much has, ranking dead last in the Majors in wRC+ since the start of May. With Austin Riley still struggling, Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II mired in ugly slumps and Ronald Acuña Jr. not returning from the IL any time soon, Atlanta needs to add a big bat to help stop the bleeding.
The good news is that the trade market should feature just such a player at a position of need. The bad news is said player just happens to be under contract with one of Atlanta's most hated rivals: New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette.
What a Braves trade package for Mets' Freddy Peralta would look like
Mauricio Dubon and Jorge Mateo have given the Braves more than could have reasonably been expected at the start of the season, but those are stopgap measures at best. Atlanta needs a more permanent solution at shortstop, especially with the Ha-Seong Kim signing already flaming out.
With the suddenly surging Astros almost certainly holding on to Jeremy Peña and the Nationals rightfully demanding a king's ransom for CJ Abrams, options are slim. But as the Mets continue to flounder in the NL East basement, they could give some serious thought to getting out from under Bichette's contract. And as he starts to hit much more like the All-Star of old, the Braves should be at the front of the line — though trading within the division won't come cheap.
I get why Braves fans might balk at this sort of price. Bichette was public enemy No. 1 in Queens amid his miserable start at the plate, and he has player options for both 2027 and 2028 at north of $55 million each. But New York's dysfunction has masked the fact that Bichette is hitting like his old self again, and Atlanta can't afford to let a golden opportunity to push for a pennant pass them by.
Would the Mets make this trade for Bo Bichette?
Much like Atlanta, New York has also lost eight of their last 10, and at 10.5 games back of the third and final Wild Card spot, David Stearns will likely have his decision made for him ahead of the trade deadline. It's time to sell barring a miraculous turnaround, and if the Mets can find a suitor for Bichette, they absolutely should — that money can almost certainly be put to better use elsewhere, and third-base prospect Jacob Reimer is coming sooner rather than later.
Murphy is coming back from Tommy John surgery that cost him most of the 2025 campaign, but he's been slowly but surely getting his feet back under him in the high Minors, showcasing the same sort of high-spin fastball/slider combination that made him an enticing prospect before the injury. Given the state of the Mets rotation, getting several years of a potential mid-rotation starter is well worth giving up on the Bichette experiment, with Muñoz a potential relief candidate with big-time stuff and equally big command questions who's already gotten his feet wet in the Majors. New York needs to fix its pitching staff to have any shot at contention next year, and acquiring Murphy would be a heck of a start.
Verdict: Yes
Why the Braves would consider this trade for Bo Bichette
It's also a worthy gamble for Atlanta to make, no matter how promising Murphy has looked of late. The Braves have pitching depth in the high Minors still with the likes of JR Ritchie, Lucas Braun, Blake Burkhalter and others, plus Cam Caminiti, Luke Sinnard and Briggs McKenzie in High-A. And Bichette is pretty much the only game in town if Anthopoulos wants to give this lineup a shot in the arm it desperately needs.
If you wrote Bichette off a month or so ago, you should check back in. He looked like his typical self in June, slashing a very Bichette-like .321/.342/.541 with five homers and seven doubles. The underlying data is starting to get more and more in line with his career norms, and we've seen how he can tilt a pennant race when he's right — just ask last year's Blue Jays. He would fit in perfectly at the top of the order ahead of guys like Matt Olson and Baldwin, helping Atlanta to stay afloat until Acuña Jr. comes back and the other stars snap out of their slumps.
With its core not getting any younger (or less expensive), the Braves can't afford not to maximize every year in which they're in the playoff mix. The NL East remains eminently winnable, and while going toe-to-toe with the Brewers and Dodgers in October is a daunting proposition, you never know what will happen in terms of injuries and upsets. Atlanta still has the pieces to make a real run; they just need some help to get them there, and Bichette is the best available option no matter which rival he currently plays for.
Verdict: Yes
Add us as a preferred source on Google