A Braves-Diamondbacks trade that doesn’t include Joc Pederson but helps OF

The Atlanta Braves have a hole in the outfield, created when superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. went down with a torn ACL, that they need to fill desperately. Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves GM, will look into each and every one of his options to fill this hole, as he should.

One player who hasn't been mentioned in too many rumors with the Braves is the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Randal Grichuk. Grichuk isn't a huge power bat, but he gets on base at a consistent clip (.348 OBP) and he is a consistent outfielder (+2 DRS).

A Braves-Diamondbacks trade for an outfielder not named Joc Pederson

Grichuk would come attached to a contract with a mutual option of $6 million next year, that he very well might accept, meaning he should be treated as a 1.5-year player rather than a rental in the trade market.

The outfielder is slashing .294/.348/.445 with an OPS+ of 126, good for the second-best OPS+ of his career. A trade for Grichuk would be an Alex Anthopoulos special, where he could acquire the Arizona outfielder for a backend top 30 prospect.

This trade proposal will only become possible if the Diamondbacks fall out of postseason contention, which is the direction they're headed. Baseball Reference gives the Diamondbacks an 18 percent chance to make the postseason, down 11 percent in the last month. If this number continues to fall, Arizona will likely opt to sell, and Grichuk could go for the right price.

In this hypothetical, it's a simple one-for-one deal, where the Braves would send 18th-ranked prospect Sabin Ceballos to Arizona for the aforementioned Grichuk.

Ceballos, 21, has put together quite a successful professional career through 75 games. He's currently raking in High-A and has a career slash line of .279/.372/.382 across three levels of pro ball in two years. He will likely crack his way into Double-A by the end of the season.

The Braves would be okay with parting ways with Ceballos if it meant they would have a more consistent outfielder in their lineup than what they're trotting out there right now.

Alex Anthopoulos made a few one-for-one deals in 2021 when he was tasked with replacing the injured Ronald Acuña Jr. He could do the exact same thing this year, especially if he looks to pursue Grichuk.