Grade the deal: Braves connected to 'outrageous' trade with selling Tigers

The Atlanta Braves will be buyers at the trade deadline and the Detroit Tigers are probably going to be sellers again. While Atlanta is still very much in the win-now mode of its competitive life cycle, Detroit is not quite there when it comes to being a winner. In Kerry Miller's eight outrageous trades to shake up the deadline over on Bleacher Report, the one involving my team certainly caught my eye.

Although Atlanta may not catch the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race, the Braves do project to be one of three wild card teams in the Senior Circuit, probably the No. 4 seed to be totally honest. As for Detroit, Miller tabs them as the other likely seller in the AL Central besides the deplorably bad White Sox, a team who just beat Atlanta 1-0 in arguably the saddest defeat of all time for the Braves.

Here is the trade proposed by Miller, one that can work out for both clubs, but would be controversial.

Miller has right-hander Jack Flaherty and outfielder Mark Canha going to Atlanta in exchange for the Braves' No. 2 propsect in right-hander Hurston Waldrep. Of the Braves' top three prospects, the hardest one for me to part ways with would be Waldrep. Then again, Alex Anthopoulos has a job to do. If Waldrep is the real deal, than this could be the inverse of the infamous John Smoltz trade.

Let's unpack this deal a bit more to see if it really is as outrageous as Miller claims it to be.

An Atlanta Braves-Detroit Tigers trade to shock all of baseball

As a Braves fan, I think this is the type of move that not only kills two birds with one stone, but reenergizes the entire team. Canha is a sparkplug type of player in the outfield. If he can be what Robbie Grossman was for the 2022 Braves, then that would be wonderful. He is playing on an expiring contract. As far as Flaherty is concerned, you have my undivided attention. It really moves the needle.

Flaherty may have signed a one-year deal with the Tigers after spending the bulk of his pro career in St. Louis. When he is on, he is phenomenal. The same thing can be said about his former high school teammate Max Fried, who is also an impending free agent. Trading for Flaherty could help curry favor to keep both native Angelenos in Atlanta for the foreseeable future on new deals. It is a pipe dream.

As for Detroit, getting a pitcher of Waldrep's caliber could help set up the Tigers' rotation of tomorrow as something stellar. At this time, we still don't know if Waldrep's MLB career will be as a starter or as a reliever. Again, he is the one pitching prospect I would rather the Braves not trade. As long as Anthopoulos doesn't move on from top infield prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr., I can go to sleep at night.

Ultimately, this trade is both non-obvious, but crazy enough that it just might work. For Atlanta, this is all about going for it all in October and trying to get Fried to re-sign. Canha is a rental, while Flaherty could be a missing piece to the rotation the Braves are in dire need of. As for Waldrep, he is the type of prospect worthy of punting on another season for if you are the Tigers. He could be special, or not.

This deal is as captivating as it is simple. Nobody would have thought to do this trade, but I do like it.

Grade: Atlanta Braves (A-), Detroit Tigers (B+), Overall (A-)