3 Atlanta Braves who won’t be on the roster by August 1, and who should replace them

For the time being, it has been pretty good to be an Atlanta Braves fan of late. They are no longer the greatest disappointment this side of AFI. Rather than sing the sorrow of still looking up at the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race, I will offer you this. What if I told you there is a way this team was able to improve between now and Aug. 1? Yes, there is a way, and it is called the trade deadline.

We know that general manager Alex Anthopoulos is a wheeler and a dealer. He struck gold with at least two of his most recent moves, which were trading for Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox and signing Reynaldo Lopez off the street. Both Atlanta starting pitchers absolutely earned their spots on the National League roster ahead of this month's MLB All-Star Game. Of course, he cannot be done...

With the need for help in the outfield, as well as in the very back of the rotation, I envision a scenario in which Anthopoulos does enough to make the Braves a team once again feared by everyone in baseball. Of course, October has long been this franchise's bugaboo, but man, wasn't that 2021 World Series run something else? This may not be the Braves' year, but I want to see it all play out.

Here are three players I don't think will be on the 25-man roster after Aug. 1 and who replaces them.

3. Atlanta Braves RHP Bryce Elder

Bryce Elder may have pitched well in his last two starts for the Braves, but the 2023 NL All-Star only has one won on the season and an ERA firmly over 5.00 in seven starts for the Braves this year. The No. 5 spot in the Atlanta rotation has been an issue ever since Spencer Strider went down with a season-ending UCL injury, which forced everybody up a spot in the Atlanta rotation. Will it be fixed?

Admittedly, it has been a really challenging three-plus months to satisfy this role since Strider got hurt. The hope is that Elder would re-emerge as the guy, but I don't know. At times, it looks like rookie Spencer Schwellenbach offers promise, but he really struggles to get through the order a second time. AJ Smith-Shawver will probably get another crack at it, but I am not exactly blown away by him.

I have penciled in Elder's name for this No. 3 spot for the time being since it really is the No. 5 starter.

Who replaces Bryce Elder?

Ideally, he would take or someone like Schwellenbach or Smith-Shawver would emerge. In time, that may be true, but the Braves have some postseason games to win. While Anthopoulos could be more comfortable with either of these internal options, the one starting pitcher outside the organization who has caught my eye is Max Fried's high school teammate in Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers.

Flaherty signed a one-year deal with Detroit after spending the bulk of his MLB career in St. Louis. Detroit is much better than I thought the Tigers would be, but still aren't playoff-caliber. They could look to build towards 2025, but there are no guarantees Flaherty will be part of the equation. The same applies to Fried in Atlanta, who will also be a free agent. What if Flaherty gets Fried to stay?

Strider will be recovering and Charlie Morton could retire, so Atlanta may actually need both of them.

2. Atlanta Braves OF Eli White

Atlanta is down bad in the outfield. While Jarred Kelenic has been a great addition, Michael Harris II is still out with a hamstring injury and Ronald Acuña Jr. is out for the season with a torn ACL. Their extended absences have increased the importance of Kelenic, as well as relying on guys like Adam Duvall, Ramon Laureano and Eli White to make up the slack. White is probably the least likely to stay.

He may have hit a home run the other day, but his spot on the Atlanta roster is totally up for grabs. I would say that he will be the one sent down as soon as Harris is healthy enough to come back, but even then, that may not be enough to rectify losing Acuña for yet another season. I think what the Braves may do is look to add a guy who has played for the team previously, one who needs a ring...

I want to have confidence in the Braves' outfield depth, but I am feeling the antithesis of that of late.

Who replaces Eli White?

Again, Harris is probably the most likely guy to take White's roster spot, but if we wanted to add a player into the equation outside of the organization, my money is on a former Brave in Kevin Pillar. Since being released by the Chicago White Sox, Pillar has flourished with the Los Angeles Angels. He recently achieved 10 years of MLB service time, as well as 1,000 career hits. Pillar also plans to retire.

With the Angels and Braves having many organizational connections, I think there is a change Halos GM Perry Minasian does Pillar a favor and trades him back to Atlanta for a lower-level prospect. Pillar knows what it means to play hard for this team. The fact he was drafted by Anthopoulos all the way back in 2011 when he was running Toronto means this has a chance for it to come full circle for Pillar.

Pillar may not be the sexiest of trade deadline acquisition for Atlanta to make, but this feels safe.

1. Atlanta Braves OF Adam Duvall

He might be cooked. Adam Duvall has been with the Braves on-and-off for the better part of a decade now. He is best known for hitting a grand slam in a World Series game where the Braves lost at home to the Houston Astros. Duvall may have a knack for the big fly and can play all three outfield positions with grace, but he strikes out a ton and makes many boneheaded base-running blunders.

Initially, he was supposed to platoon with Jarred Kelenic in left field alongside Michael Harris II in center and Ronald Acuña Jr. in right. Of course, things took a turn of late. Duvall is playing far more regularly than anyone in Braves Country expected. While Kelenic has shined in his expanded role, Duvall has been a walking out at times in the Atlanta batting order. He may not have staying power.

Atlanta could keep him around for good vibes and locker room reasons, but what if it could do better?

Who replaces Adam Duvall?

As with Eli White, the likeliest replacement for Duvall would be Harris internally once he comes off the injured list. Atlanta could be markedly better having its fleet-footed (second) lead-off man back on the team, but Harris doesn't really solve the growing Duvall issue at hand. The player I would hope Atlanta could try to trade for would be Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena. That'd be great!

To me, this isn't about replacing Harris, it is about replacing Acuña. The Braves need a player who possesses that necessary clutch gene to get Atlanta over the top during the home stretch and into October. We saw what Arozarena has done in October before. Other players I would say to target include Chicago Cubs star Cody Bellinger and that pearl-wearing m**********r called Joc Pederson.

Arozarena to the Braves would certainly have the baseball world on notice after that huge trade.