Alex Anthopoulos can't afford to wait on 1 likely Braves trade target

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is famous for being able to work some trade deadline magic over the years. He was able to successfully recover from a Ronald Acuña Jr. ACL tear in 2021, swiftly replacing him with the players that helped them win the World Series a few months later.

Now, three years later, he's been tasked with an eerily similar situation. Ronald Acuña Jr. has again torn his ACL and Anthopoulos needs to replace him before the Braves fall out of contention in the NL East. Their offense simply isn't good enough right now.

But if he continues to wait until the deadline draws closer, the players he may look to acquire could gain steam and raise their trade value. We're already seeing this happen with one of Anthopoulos' most obvious targets, Miguel Andujar.

Braves need to act swifty before trade targets raise their value too high

MLB insider Mark Feinsand recently put together a piece about 10 potential trade pieces whose stock is currently rising. Feinsand noted Miguel Andujar as one of these players, and he matches up quite well with the Braves.

"Andujar didn’t make his season debut until May 24 following knee surgery, but the 29-year-old has been productive in his first 14 games, hitting .321 with two home runs, 12 RBIs and an .828 OPS," writes Feinsand. "Andujar, who finished second in 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting with the Yankees but has struggled to find consistency (and opportunity) ever since, is earning $1.7 million this season and remains arbitration-eligible for one more year."

Andujar is slashing .323/.328/.477 on the year, albeit in only 16 games and 65 at bats. But either way, that stretch of games is quite impressive for a player that many had written off.

If the Braves were to try to acquire him now, they would be able to get him for rather cheap. But, if Atlanta sits and waits and Andujar continues to produce, they could find themselves having to pay much more for the outfielder than they would want. After all, business does pick up once we get closer to the MLB trade deadline, currently scheduled for July 30. There could be multiple bidders for Andujar by that time, and Oakland's asking price could increase.

It's all about whether or not Atlanta thinks he will continue this production. If they think he can, they need to jump on the opportunity before his trade value skyrockets.