Braves rumors: Max Fried doubt grows, absurd trade proposal, prospect debut timelines
- The Atlanta Braves are probably only going to have Max Fried for one more season.
- As if they needed more middle infield help, here is an outlandish trade proposal!
- Plus, the latest timelines on top prospects Hurston Waldrep and AJ Smith-Shawver.
By John Buhler
Braves rumors: Willy Adames to Atlanta is not what the Braves need
Around the horn, the Braves are absolutely stacked in the infield. With Matt Olson at first, Ozzie Albies at second, Austin Riley at third and the lethal combination of Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud behind the dish, the weak point has to be last year's All-Star starter at short in Orlando Arcia. While he clearly was the better option over Vaughn Grissom out of spring training last year, can Atlanta upgrade here?
Zachary D. Rymer wrote "8 Blockbuster MLB Trades We Want to See in 2024" earlier in the week. The one Braves Country should care about is the one involving getting Willy Adames to Atlanta. His logic behind the Braves acquiring Adames is that Milwaukee is trending down this season and he could be an upgrade over former top Brewers prospect Arcia at shortstop. It is about going from great to elite.
Only time will tell if Arcia has staying power at shortstop for Atlanta. He is not making a ton of cash right now, but dealing for Adames could prove costly. I would venture to guess that either AJ Smith-Shawver or Hurston Waldrep would be going to Milwaukee, along with Arcia, in a deal of this magnitude. Since Smith-Shawver and Waldrep are about pro-ready, I would not make this move...
However, Adames could be had by the right team near the trade deadline if Milwaukee is so out of it.