Second-guessing the Braves' Trade Deadline moves
MLB.com • • sports
Key Points:
- The Atlanta Braves exited the Trade Deadline without acquiring a frontline starting pitcher, drawing significant backlash from fans and analysts.
- Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos made modest upgrades by adding Lane Thomas, Tyler Mahle, and Brent Suter, but the team still lacks a clear Game 2 playoff starter.
- The Braves pursued top pitching targets like Tarik Skubal, Jacob deGrom, and Logan Webb, but none were realistically attainable due to contract complexities and competition from other teams.
- Alternatives such as Robbie Ray and Casey Mize, who were acquired by the Padres, were not pursued aggressively, possibly due to differing internal prospect valuations and the cost of prospects involved.
- The Braves are banking on current players like Mahle, Spencer Schwellenbach, and AJ Smith-Shawver—who is recovering from Tommy John surgery—to fill rotation gaps, hoping their young talent will develop into reliable starters by postseason time.
