Atlanta Braves at the Deadline
· Yahoo Sports
As the MLB Trade Deadline approaches, every fan wants to know what their team will do (or at least to what extent). The Braves are obviously buyers because they are in first place and know that their roster is not quite good enough to win a World Series with its present construction. That being said, what do they need to fix?
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Starting pitching is probably the most glaring hole that they faced during their early summer skid. Is it a reason to go get a new starter? Not necessarily. Most of the problems are the same as last year’s problems, just to a lesser extent. The Braves have an incredible pitching staff on paper, but guys get hurt and that takes a toll. As far as the Braves’ rotation goes, they can turn to some of their stashed away prospects that are pro-ready in Gwinnett, but even that is not as good as their full strength.
In fact, not once this year have they had their big three active all in the rotation at the same time. Sale has been solid (as usual), Smith-Shawver had a nice return to the MLB mound (despite the team taking a loss), and Schwellenbach is still working his way back. Throw in Spencer Strider, and the Braves could improve dramatically above an already impressive rotation that started the first couple of months atop every meaningful category.
Is it worth going after a new shortstop, though, that seems to be a big hole for Atlanta? A month ago, the consensus answer would have been yes. The Braves spent $20 million on Hae-Song Kim only for him to be a major downgrade at the position from previous years. Sometimes plans just do not work out. To replace Kim, though, you have options.
The unsung hero, Mauricio Dubon, can play short, but he certainly is needed in the outfield as well. Jorge Mateo also plays a good defensive shortstop, but his hitting leaves a bit to be desired. In a perfect world, he would stay on as somebody who can pinch run late in a game without sacrificing any defense.
All this sounds like the Braves really do need to get a new shortstop. None of this, however, accounts for Jim Jarvis. He was not even too highly regarded as a prospect, but he has come up to The Show in a pinch and made the most of it. He hits, he is clutch, and he plays a brand of defense that is suitable for the Major Leagues. There is no guarantee that he is the answer for the future, but why not play the hot hand for this year at least?
The next biggest need would be a right-handed power hitter, preferably an outfielder. Austin Riley does not seem to want to get into or stay into any reasonable form and Acuna is always once strong rainstorm away from melting. Those two factors together leave the power hitting on the shoulders of the left-handed batters.
If they go get a power hitting righty, it would be most beneficial if he was an outfielder for a few reasons. One, Acuna could get hurt and need replacing at a moment’s notice, two, an extra outfielder would actually free Dubon up to platoon at shortstop more often, and three, your defending Rookie of the Year catcher occupies more time in the DH role than he does behind the plate (meaning it would be hard to fit a hitter into the lineup without platooning him in the outfield).
Overall, the Braves need just minor tweaks, not some sort of roster altering rebuild. The are in the driver’s seat in the NL East, but not quite World Series material right now. Alex Anthopolos has been known to do a great job around the deadline, so Braves fans should trust him to make the necessary adjustments. It just does not seem prudent of him to dismantle a farm system, that is finally rebounding after years of gutting, just to put a bandage on the roster.