Sky is falling? The unexpected Braves trade that could fix everything

The Atlanta Braves are a mess. Nothing says disarray like a players-only meeting. At 54-45, Atlanta is ostensibly the fourth-best team in the National League and an obvious threat in the Wild Card spot. Philadelphia would not strut into a Braves series unchecked. That is a real trap-door matchup considering the implications of the buy week and Atlanta's track record.

Still, with injuries piling up and their best players out of commission, the Braves are struggling to mount a run to challenge Philly in the standings. It's easy to say 'oh, the Braves will figure it out,' but we are more than halfway through the season. It's one thing for slumps to take root, but injuries are a whole different ballgame. The Braves just don't have the depth to keep up.

Alex Anthopoulos is expected to operate aggressively ahead of next week's trade deadline. He has already picked up Eddie Rosario and Whit Merrifield off of waivers, two former difference-makers who still have something left in the tank. Atlanta has also been test-driving the likes of Zack Short and Nacho Alvarez, who batted second in Monday's loss to Cincinnati.

While infield and outfield issues mount, the Braves are also dealing with Spencer Strider's absence in the rotation. Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Max Fried are All-Stars — probably the best outcome Atlanta could have hoped for. Charlie Morton is still chugging along at 40. It's that pesky fifth starting slot that continues to plague Atlanta. Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, AJ Smith-Shawver, Bryce Elder. None of the Braves' talented minor-league pitchers appear ready to step up for the big-league club.

As such, Atlanta has a couple priorities are the trade deadline — position depth and pitching. Well, how about one trade to solve both issues in explosive, utterly shocking and controversial fashion?

With the "sky is falling" attitude taking hold of the Atlanta fandom, which if the Braves acquired Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers... along with Javier Baez?

(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)

Tarik Skubal-Javier Baez trade could solve Braves' issues

The idea of Detroit attaching Javy Baez's catastrophically bad contract to Skubal in a trade has gained momentum lately. The once-prosperous shortstop is due $25 million annually for another 3.5 seasons, which is a tough pill to swallow, even for teams who love to flaunt their budget over everybody else (lookin' at you, Los Angeles Dodgers).

Baez is essentially dead weight at this point, but strip the contract away and he's a 31-year-old former NLCS MVP and two-time All-Star who can supply depth in the infield. The Braves need to replace Ozzie Albies for a couple months. The Orlando Arcia experience at shortstop has been tough to stomach lately. Baez would get ABs in Atlanta and hey, we've seen the Braves salvage and repurpose wayward vets in the past. It's a thought.

The obvious appeal, of course, is landing Tarik Skubal with another two years of team control on his contract in the middle of his prime. Skubal is a Scott Boras client, and the Braves don't generally mess with Boras clients, but landing the AL Cy Young favorite (and turning him into the NL Cy Young favorite) is worth stretching outside one's comfort zone. Skubal would plug the hole in Atlanta's starting rotation and then some.

Just imagine Skubal and Strider topping the rotation next season? Arguably the two best pitchers in the sport, with two unhittable fastballs and endless aura. It's quite an entertaining concept. The Braves can shower the Tigers with pitching prospects and a few noteworthy positional talents to grease the wheels on a trade. But, in reality, a large chunk of the return value for Detroit would be removing Baez's contract from the books.

Atlanta has steadfastly saved money with discount extensions for their core pieces over the years. The Braves are not traditionally big spenders, but Baez's contract is a reasonable price to pay for landing the game's top ace at premium value. It probably won't happen, but it sure would be fun to watch Skubal slicing up hitters in Truist Park.