MLB Rumors: 3 Braves trades to combat Dodgers that Atlanta’s connected to already
By Josh Wilson
Shane Bieber
Jim Bowden tossed Shane Bieber out as a possible trade target for the Braves several weeks ago, and it's not hard to see how he might fit in for Atlanta.
On the whole, the Braves starting rotation was good in 2023, but had to work with men on base on a somewhat frequent basis. Of all starting rotations, the Braves had the seventh-highest walk rate at 8.8 percent according to FanGraphs. One possible suitor who could help clean that up is Shane Bieber, whose 6.4 percent walk rate was better than any member of the starting rotation aside from Fried, and is in the 80th percentile for walk rate in MLB.
Bieber, like Valdez, also boasts a decent walk rate. Unlike Valdez, Bieber's fastball is a little slower than average, but has considerably more movement than average.
It's hard to get a feel for how available Bieber is on the trade market. The Guardians don't seem to be openly or widely shopping their ace pitcher, but discussions with various National League teams indicate they're certainly willing to listen to creative ideas on him.