Braves Part Ways With 18-Year-Old Pitcher in Move Before Trade Deadline

The Atlanta Braves are making some changes in their farm system ahead of the trade deadline, cutting ties with an 18-year-old pitcher who joined the team last year as an international prospect.

The transaction wire on MLB.com showed that the team released right-handed pitcher Wilmer Almonte, who was stuck near the bottom of the farm system. While the Braves are expected to take an active approach to finding help before next week’s trade deadline, Almonte will apparently not be part of the team’s long-term plans.

Teenage Pitcher Struggled

Almonte signed with the Braves in January 2025 as part of the team’s group of international prospects. The right-handed relief pitcher was assigned to the Dominican Summer League Braves but placed on the 60-day injured list in May of that year, missing the rest of the season. Almonte appeared in 11 games this season, going 1-1 with a 7.90 ERA and 2.41 WHIP.

Almonte had a long way to in the farm system, not appearing on the team’s list of top 30 prospects on MLB.com.

Braves Seeking Big Pitching Moves

The Braves are expected to find some more immediate pitching help this season. MLB insider Jim Bowden reported that they are in the hunt for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, though behind the frontrunner Milwaukee Brewers.

“I think the Brewers are the most likely landing spot. I’ll rank them number one, then the Dodgers, Braves, and Rays, in that order,” Bowden said on Foul Territory.

SI.com reporter Karl Rasmussen suggested the Braves could land Skubal for a package that includes right-handed pitcher Didier Fuentes and shortstop Alex Lodise, the organization’s No. 5 overall prospect.

“The Braves have cooled off quite a bit from their torrid start to the season, but they’re still very much in contention for the World Series,” Rasmussen wrote. “A blockbuster trade for Skubal would be a potentially season-altering move for Atlanta, and he would form a devastating pairing atop their rotation alongside Chris Sale. With myriad injuries impacting the Braves’ starting pitching depth this season, going all-in on a trade for Skubal would give them the best shot at competing with the Dodgers and Brewers in October.”

Some believe the Braves could end up with a different pitcher from the Tigers rotation. CBS Sports analyst Mike Axisa suggested the team could instead focus on Casey Mize, noting that he could be an add-on for a potential Skubal trade.

“If the Tigers trade Skubal, something that seems increasingly likely, they might as well trade Casey Mize too,” Axisa wrote. “He’s another rental. The Braves really need another starter to buttress a rotation that is counting a little too much on Bryce Elder and Martín Pérez these days.”

But the trade would all depend on Mize’s health, Axisa added.

“Mize’s ongoing groin issue (he’s currently on the injured list for the third time this season with it) is the X-factor here,” Axisa wrote. “For our purposes, we’ll assume the Braves or whichever team trades for him are comfortable with the medicals. Mize has been terrific when healthy this year and might be a better bang for the buck than Skubal, given the potential asking prices.”

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