The Atlanta Braves will be one of the main buyers ahead of the August 3 MLB Trade Deadline.
Atlanta has some clear areas of need ahead of the deadline, and none bigger than rotation help. The Braves could also use another bat, likely in the outfield. Ahead of the deadline, MLB analyst Taylor Greenhut of JustBaseball shared a mock trade that sees the Braves acquiring Michael Wacha and Lane Thomas from the Kansas City Royals.
Braves acquire:
Royals acquire:
The proposed five-player deal would be a blockbuster as Atlanta gets two impact MLB players for a pennant race, while Kansas City looks towards the future.
Wacha would be an immediate upgrade in the rotation and someone who could start playoff games for Atlanta. The right-hander is 5-7 with a 3.60 ERA in 21 starts this season and is in the second year of his three-year, $51 million deal. There’s also a club option for 2028 at $14 million, so Atlanta could have him for parts of three seasons.
Thomas, meanwhile, is a slugging outfielder who can be a platoon player and add some offense to the lineup. The pending free agent is hitting .229 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs, but his career-high is 28 home runs and 86 RBIs.
In return, Atlanta would deal Waldrep, who was the Braves’ first-round pick in 2023. The right-hander has struggled in the MLB this season but could get runway in the Royals’ rotation.
Lodise, meanwhile, is the Braves’ fifth-ranked prospect and is a shortstop. Miller, meanwhile, is a second baseman and is the team’s 30th-ranked prospect. Both are 22 years old and could reach the majors in the next few years.
Analyst Explains Braves-Royals Proposed Blockbuster
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster and makes sense for both sides.
Atlanta has a clear need in the rotation and could use another outfielder, so trading for both in the same deal with the Royals also is tidy business.
“There is an easy case to be made for bringing both Wacha and Thomas to Atlanta. Atlanta’s left fielders currently rank second-worst in baseball with a .628 OPS, with Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubón handling most of the playing time. As mentioned earlier, the Braves have struggled against left-handed pitching, posting just a .700 OPS, making a right-handed bat an obvious need,” Greenhut wrote. …
“Perhaps the biggest appeal for Atlanta is the workload Wacha provides. The Braves’ starters are currently averaging 5.2 innings per start. Remove Sale from that equation and the average drops to 5.1 innings per outing. Holmes, Strider, and López all fall under 5.0 innings on average this year. Wacha, meanwhile, is averaging 6.3 innings per start this season and 5.7 innings per start over the last five years. He is the definition of dependable. More often than not, you know you are getting around six innings while allowing three runs or fewer.”
Atlanta would have to give up three young players, but that is the cost of doing business.
Atlanta Looking for Pitching Help
Ahead of the trade deadline, Atlanta has a clear need to add to its rotation.
Braves analyst Mark Bowman of MLB.com named pitching as the team’s biggest need.
“But Braves starters have completed at least six innings in just five of the past 34 games. This will continue to put significant strain on the bullpen and hinder the bid to even reach the playoffs,” Bowman wrote. “So, while there’s a need to add a playoff-caliber starter, there’s also a need for the Braves’ current starters to step up and give what could be a solid bullpen a chance to survive the regular season’s final two months.”
The Braves are 63-45.
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