3 Atlanta Braves who shouldn't be on the roster after MLB Winter Meetings
Alex Anthopoulos may have Atlanta Braves fans a bit spoiled, but for good reason, as the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings ready for Nashville in early December. We've seen the top decision-maker for the Braves pull off trades for All-Stars in each of the past two seasons, landing Matt Olson in 2021 and then Sean Murphy in 2022.
To some degree, that may have Braves fans expecting another splash, which isn't a guarantee. At the same time, however, there is good reason for fans to believe in that possibility. Anthopoulos has made these types of trades his M.O. and, with needs to both fortify the rotation and shore up the outfield, perhaps he looks once again to more than just free agency to make it happen.
As is the case with any trade, though, that also means some of the players on the Braves roster or within the organization could be gone. So if Anthopoulos is going to make a trade at the MLB Winter Meetings for Dylan Cease, Tyler Glasnow or whoever else, which players could and/or should be gone from the Braves roster? Three bigger names come to front of mind.
3. Drake Baldwin could be a huge Braves trade asset at a deep position
Okay, so technically, Drake Baldwin is not currently on the Braves 40-man roster for the offseason. He finished the 2023 season with the Gwinnett Stripers. But that is also one of the reasons that the catcher and 2022 third-round pick for Atlanta could be an interesting trade piece.
After playing rookie ball at the end of 2022, Baldwin started the 2023 campaign in High-A ball. But the end of the year, he ended up with Triple-A Gwinnett, a big-time rise through Atlanta's farm system -- even if his time with with the Stripers was only three games.
Across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A last season, though, the catcher out of Missouri State played 109 games and slashed .270/.384/.460 with 16 home runs, 26 doubles and 61 RBI. Yes, some of that was against way inferior competition than he would see in the majors, but it's still a nice showing.
Baldwin would likely be a year away from being called up but, now that we get to the reality of a possible trade, he's not really in a position to see the field for the Braves. Atlanta extended Travis d'Arnaud midseason, signed Sean Murphy to a long-term deal prior to the start of the season, and appear set at catcher.
It's a position that the club has a surplus at, especially with another prospect looming in Tyler Tolve in Double-A right now, but specifically at the major-league level. For an organization that needs some more depth in the system at catcher, or even a near-major-ready option too, Baldwin could be an attractive trade chip that the Braves could send along.