MLB Rumors: Braves best trade match, Cardinals eyeing offense, Red Sox sleeper target

Look at Jeff Passan trying to be a matchmaker! He knows that Evil Empire and Pinkerton on vinyl look damn good next to each other on Zoom, so I trust his judgment here. He may not be my favorite MLB insider for Atlanta Braves reasons, but he did try to get someone new and cool onto my team, so I will allow it for now. Heck, he even had some ideas about two other teams needing some offensive help.

For the Braves, he tied Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas to Atlanta. This move makes sense, as Atlanta has plenty of intel on him from all those years of him playing in-division. Thomas is not going to command very much, but he has been a noted Braves killer in recent years. For the Braves' continued questions in the outfield, I would say I actually like Passan's thought on the matter.

With the St. Louis Cardinals, Passan has them as a real landing spot for Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker. His big beef with the Cardinals is that while they are playing better of late, their offense is too inconsistent to really be a serious contender for anything other than an immediate postseason exit in the wild card round. I am not sure that Rooker is the ideal solution, but he could be available.

And for the Boston Red Sox, Passan believes that they have played too well to not try and consider adding somebody. He tabs Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Rengifo as a potential solution they need in terms of defensive versatility. Simply put, a borderline playoff team like the Red Sox cannot afford to squander outs. Rengifo could help them in that regard, but Boston has to do something.

Let's discuss these three potential trade fits a bit more, as well as the likelihood of any happening.

MLB Rumors: Jeff Passan ties players to Braves, Cardinals, Red Sox, etc.

While Rooker is clearly the biggest name of the three, I feel like he is the least likely to be traded among the three players in question. This is because St. Louis will have to give up Oakland more than what Boston would to Los Angeles for Rengifo, and potentially what Atlanta may have to give up to Washington in-division to get Thomas. Rooker is the biggest name, as St. Louis is a fringe contender.

For Atlanta, Thomas would make people with rooting interests in the NL East feel a certain way. I think most in Braves Country would be in favor of it, assuming Alex Anthopoulos didn't have to give up the farm for him. For as much as I would prefer to add a total rockstar like Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays, it is all about the right fit. Thomas' gamer mentality is what I get behind the most.

And for Boston, again, Passan is absolutely right in that the Red Sox owe it to their fans to at least try to go for it. We still have some time between now and the trade deadline before necessary moves are required. If the Red Sox do anything, I suspect that targeting someone like Rengifo could be right in their line of thinking. Boston is better than expected, but we don't want to hasten long-term growth.

It will be interesting to see what teams like Atlanta, Boston and St. Louis decide to do in a few weeks.