A Braves-Diamondbacks trade package to steal an ideal Phillies target

The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are competing in a plethora of ways right now. They're competing in the NL East, obviously, with the Phillies holding a firm hold on the first-place spot, ahead of the Braves by almost ten games at this point.

They're also, obviously, competing in the National League, both chasing the coveted NL pennant. But what most fans don't realize is that these two teams will also compete in the trade market, rather head on.

Both teams have the same huge need on the trade market: an outfielder. The Braves could look to steal one of the Phillies intended outfielder targets before the deadline

A Braves-Diamondbacks trade that steals Jake McCarthy before the Phillies can land him

Jake McCarthy of the Diamondbacks would be a huge pickup for either the Phillies or the Braves, but it may be Atlanta that gets aggressive enough to land him first.

McCarthy is slashing .268/.354/.370 on the year, good for an OPS+ of 111. He's added nine extra base hits and nine stolen bases. He has multiple more years of team control on his contract, adding greatly to his value.

Typically, an outfielder of McCarthy's current production wouldn't go for two top 15 pitching prospects, but the Diamondbacks' outfielder will be under contract for the next half decade. That kind of team control adds to his value incredibly.

Drue Hackenberg is a rather developed right handed pitcher currently throwing in High-A. He has a big-league arsenal and a decent bit of command to pair with it. He needs to continue to polish everything up, but for the most part, he appears headed for the big leagues.

Darius Vines has found himself in a logjam in the Atlanta farm system. He's been given a few opportunities to prove himself in the big leagues but has fallen flat each time. Now, that next opportunity will need to wait because the Braves are giving their top prospects the nod before they bring Vines back up. Most recently, they fast tracked their No. 2 prospect, Hurston Waldrep, up to the big leagues to make his debut.

The Braves need help in the outfielder quite desperately. McCarthy would provide them with a young, controllable outfielder. Trading for him would be a low-risk move because he's more than a rental. If he doesn't work to lead them to a World Series this year, they will have him next year and the year after as well. He'll have plenty of time to provide value to Atlanta.

And they would steal him from the Phillies before they are able to pounce on the opportunity.