3 Braves prospects who won't survive the July 30 trade deadline and why

The Atlanta Braves are going to be in buy mode for the next month. Their general manager, Alex Anthopoulos will work tirelessly over the next month to build the best possible roster to go win the 2024 World Series.

Anthopoulos has his hands full though after suffering season ending injuries to his two best players, Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. He's left to replace these two as well as adding depth and figuring out a few pieces in the bullpen.

With so much on his plate, the Braves are going to need to move some of their prospects in order to make this happen. Which prospects are the most likely to be traded from the Braves farm system before the coming trade deadline?

3. SS Nacho Alvarez Jr.

It's almost guaranteed that Atlanta is going to pursue a huge, blockbuster deal before the deadline. Whether it's Garrett Crochet, Cody Bellinger, Luis Robert or any of the other huge names on the market, Atlanta is going to go after them. And to acquire a big name like them, you have to use big prospects and Nacho Alvarez is the biggest prospect they have available to trade.

Atlanta's top five prospects are all pitchers. Each of these five names is likely untouchable at the deadline for their own reason, whether it be injury or impact on the big league club. One way or another, the Braves top five prospects will likely all stay with Atlanta this season. That leaves Alvarez, Atlanta's 6th ranked prospect, as the headliner to any big deal for the Braves.

Alvarez is talented and the best position player in the Braves farm system. They wouldn't want to trade him, but if they want a big MLB talent in return, he almost has to be the headliner in the deal.

Now, if Atlanta opts to pick up more role players, leaving the big names and the team controllable players alone, Alvarez is safe this deadline. He will only find himself dealt if Atlanta goes after a big fish in the market. All signs point that they will though.

2. RHP Darius Vines

The idea of trading Darius Vines is quite simple. There's no path for him to make it back to the big leagues while in Atlanta unless the Braves pitching staff ends up more injured and depleted than it already is.

Vine has become the Braves most expendable prospect asset in their entire farm system, meaning he's likely one of the first prospects offered in any possible trade for Atlanta.

Vines has found himself in a logjam in the Atlanta system. He's gotten chances in the big leagues already, but he now finds himself behind top prospects like AJ Smith-Shawver, Spencer Schwellenbach, Bryce Elder and Hurston Waldrep. There's just no reasonable chance that he finds a forever home in the Atlanta rotation over these high potential top prospects.

Vines and Atlanta would both be better off if they can find a trade partner for him this season. He desperately needs a career reset with another team that's more willing to give him a chance in the big leagues. He's still young and talented enough to hold a good amount of value as a prospect, meaning he could be a good piece in a big, blockbuster trade for the Braves this season.

1. 3B Sabin Ceballos

Sabin Ceballos is a name that many might not have expected to find on this list. In fact, unless you're a Braves fan or a die-hard baseball fan, you probably don't even know the name.

Ceballos is a 21-year-old infield prospect with a tremendous frame and a slash line of .277/.366/.388 in 2024. He's shown some serious promise at the hot corner in High-A this year, which is the exact reason he finds himself on this list.

The Braves are going to hunt the big fish at the deadline and for that, you need to be willing to part ways with hot prospects. Ceballos is one of those prospects in the Braves system that is swinging it so well this season that he's destined to draw a bunch of attention.

With Atlanta likely going after some big names which is going to require big packages of prospects, Ceballos could absolutely see his name called in one of these deals. Anthopoulos isn't shy to go down the prospect board, to 18, where Ceballos is ranked, in order to sneak away some rental bats in the trade market.

Ceballos could be involved in a big deal or he could be a one for one trade for a rental bat. At this point, it's up in the air. But the rest of the league will certainly be asking Anthopoulos for Sabin Ceballos in these trades.