The Atlanta Braves will surely be buyers in the trade market ahead of the August 3 deadline. After being one of the best teams in Major League Baseball throughout the first part of 2026, Atlanta has recently taken a step backwards. In fact, the Braves have won just two of their last 10 games. As a result, their lead atop the National League East has shrunk to 2.5 games.
While Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos can go several different ways, starting pitching will likely be a point of focus for the club. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes that Los Angeles Angels ace Reid Detmers would be a great target. As the reporter points out, the two teams have completed a surprising amount of deals together in recent years. Anthopoulos will almost certainly at least call his Angels counterpart regarding Detmers.
On top of the connection, Detmers is a quality left-handed pitcher. So far this season, he has posted a 3.88 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The southpaw has been even better over his last seven starts on the mound. During this timeframe, Detmers has a 2.42 ERA and an impressive 0.78 WHIP for L.A.
Because the Angels are one of the worst teams in the American League, they will likely at least field offers regarding their players. Detmers, however, will not come cheap. The starter has two more years of arbitration remaining before becoming a free agent after the 2028 campaign. He is earning just $2.62 million this season.
Adding Reid Detmers Would Solidify the Atlanta Braves Rotation
GettyAngels ace Reid Detmers would be a quality addition to the Atlanta Braves pitching staff.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield also recently linked the Atlanta Braves with starting pitching in the trade market. As the reporter points out, Atlanta’s rotation has slowly fallen apart. Braves starters previously posted a collective 3.12 ERA in April and 3.22 ERA in May. Nevertheless, this figure has ballooned to 4.00 during the month of June.
Overall, Atlanta’s rotation still has a respectable 3.87 ERA and 1.28 WHIP on the current campaign. These figures currently rank eighth and 12th among all MLB teams. However, Bryce Elder has a 7.50 ERA over his last seven starts, and Spencer Strider is back on the injured list with an elbow issue.
At the moment, the Atlanta Braves have been relying heavily on veteran Chris Sale. In fact, the southpaw is the only Atlanta starter with a WAR over 1.5 in 2026. Potentially adding Detmers (and his 1.6 WAR) would give the Braves a solid one-two punch of left-handed pitchers heading towards the playoffs.
Atlanta Likely Has to Part Ways With Multiple Prospects to Make Trade
According to Miller, the Atlanta Braves would likely have to give up multiple prospects to help land Detmers. The Bleacher Report writer specifically named Owen Murphy and Jose Perdomo as candidates to send to L.A. in the deal. Murphy, a former 2022 first-round draft pick, is currently Atlanta’s sixth-ranked prospect.
The right-handed pitcher has a 3.88 ERA in 11 starts with AAA Gwinnett in 2026. He previously posted an incredible 1.98 ERA in 2025 between rookie ball and high-A. Perdomo, on the other hand, is a 19-year-old shortstop within the Braves farm system. The Venezuelan has only featured in two games so far this season, but has been rated as the Braves’ 23rd-best prospect.
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