3 Braves trade chips Alex Anthopoulos could flip for another star

2) Braves can flip Hurston Waldrep for another star

The Braves selected Hurston Waldrep 24th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, and all he's done since is impress. The right-hander made just eight appearances in the minors this season but moved all the way up from Single-A to Triple-A by season's end. Just a remarkable climb from a pitcher who is just 21 years old.

In his eight professional starts Waldrep was absolutely dominant, posting a 1.73 ERA in 29.1 innings of work. This includes 4.1 scoreless innings in his lone outing for AAA Gwinnett in which he struck out five.

Waldrep's rapid ascension through the Braves minor league system has made him a top-100 prospect already, as he's currently ranked 100th on MLB Pipeline. He's Atlanta's second best prospect and can easily make an impact as soon as next season.

It can be argued that Waldrep has even better stuff than Smith-Shawver does, and Smith-Shawver is one of the premier strikeout artists among all prospects in baseball. He's armed with a fastball that can hit the upper 90's consistently and he pairs that with a nasty splitter that generates a ton of chases below the zone. Like Smith-Shawver, he has clear frontline starter potential, and he has a ton of room to grow as he gains more experience.