Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Two NL contenders face the trade deadline with urgent needs as they eye a deep postseason run against the defending champions.
- Both teams must address injury-depleted rotations while one leans heavily on offensive adjustments to counter platoon weaknesses.
- The next few days will test their front offices' creativity, with pitching depth and specific offensive profiles defining their October viability.
On the surface, both the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers sure look the part of inner-circle World Series contenders. They enter a huge weekend series at Truist Park with the second- and third-best records in baseball, plus two of the four best run differentials, and they lead the NL East and NL Central by eight and six games in the loss column, respectively.
And yet, anxiety looms. The Braves have hit their first real swoon of the season, as injuries finally begin to take their toll. The Brewers have injuries of their own to deal with, and while they're once again the class of their division, it's hard to shake the memory of last season's blanking at the hands o the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS — just as it's hard to shake the sense that Milwaukee needs to take a big swing to be something more than a regular-season success story.
That's the thing about sharing a league with the two-time defending world champs: no matter how awesome you've been, there's basically no margin for error. Which makes the upcoming trade deadline all the more fascinating, as both of these contenders look to not only address internal needs but also external questions about the budding dynasty in SoCal. Dethroning the Dodgers may prove to be a futile mission, but how can both Milwaukee and Atlanta make moves to put themselves in the best possible position?
Brewers need to add a righty bat (and some more pitching)
Despite being among the worst teams in the league when it comes to hitting for power, the Brewers have been a top-five offense so far this season by both wRC+ and runs scored. As much as I would love for them to add a proven infielder to upgrade over Joey Ortiz, Davd Hamilton and recently promoted rookie Cooper Pratt, it's tough to try and fix what ain't broke.
Then again, while Milwaukee has been elite against right-handed pitching, they fall to just 18th in baseball against lefties — Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn and William Contreras have been awesome, but this is a pretty lefty-heavy lineup overall, one that can be susceptible to platoon splits. Finding one more righty bat who can bring some pop against southpaws would be huge, ideally as a partner for either Sal Frelick or Garrett Mitchell in the outfield. If a big swing on, say, Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña is out of the question, how about Jo Adell from the Angels, or even Taylor Ward from the Orioles if Baltimore winds up selling?
Beyond that, this is as complete a team as you'll find, as we've come to expect. It's hard not to be a little concerned about the current injury situation in the rotation, though; Brandon Woodruff is expected back soon, but who knows what he'll actually look like, and Logan Henderson and Quinn Priester are both on the IL as well. Milwaukee churns out quality pitchers as well as any organization in the sport, but top-end talent tends to shine in October, and ideally the Brewers would have one more known quantity behind Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison. That doesn't have to be a star like Tarik Skubal or Joe Ryan, but maybe a proven veteran like Sonny Gray who can soak up innings and take the ball in the postseason.
Braves need to add as much pitching depth as possible
Like Milwaukee, Atlanta has a glaring hole at shortstop, with Ha-Seong Kim mired in an awful slump and guys like Jorge Mateo and Mauricio Dubon better suited to utility roles. Also like Milwaukee, though, it's hard to sweat that too much given how awesome the rest of the lineup is; the Braves should hit enough to contend for a World Series even if all they get from the shortstop position is a reliable glove.
Alex Anthopoulos could well go big on someone like Peña, although CJ Abrams would likely be off-limits given that the Nats almost certainly don't want to keep him in the NL East. But his real focus should be on the rotation, which is still without Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep and just lost Spencer Strider to yet another injury. Chris Sale is awesome, but beyond him, Atlanta is awfully short on guys you'd trust to make postseason starts right now, whether due to talent (Grant Holmes, Martin Perez) or injury (Schwellenbach, Waldrep, Strider).
The Braves should be at or near the top of the list of teams to make a serious run at Skubal in the event he does become available. If they don't have enough to get a deal done, then pivot to someone like Ryan or even Sandy Alcantara or Freddy Peralta. Atlanta has enough young pitching to get a deal done, and anyone with a track record of eating innings and performing in the playoffs would be welcome here for a team with legit title aspirations.
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