With The Trade Deadline Approaching…We Ask, Will The Atlanta Braves Be Busy?

Trade Deadline – 4pm ET Monday, August 1st

The MLB Trade Deadline is quickly approaching as we are now down to three nights and four days. We haven’t seen too many splashes in the ocean yet, but this morning we did see the Miami Marlins trade for Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea to the Padres.  On the Braves side, we’ve already moved Kelly Johnson, Jhoulys Chacin, Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez.  Who’s next? 

To get a little clarity, I reached out to SB Nation and MLB Daily Dish reporter, Chris Cotillo to hear his insights on what’s going on.  Follow him @ChrisCotillo on Twitter.

Tomahawk Take: As we’re only a few days away from the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline, do you expect the Atlanta Braves making anymore moves? Could you give a list of 5 names that may be moved – 1 being most likely

Chris Cotillo: Honestly hard to gauge likeliness right now as things are very fluid, but I would say these guys could all be dealt: Markakis, Aybar, Beckham, Johnson, O’Flaherty.

TT: The Braves made a “wave” (wouldn’t call it a splash) yesterday when they pulled off the Lucas Harrell, Dario Alvarez for prospect Travis Demeritte. What’s your take on Demeritte? He was ranked #20 on MLB.com’s pre-season top Rangers list and #9 mid-season, where do you see him fitting into the Braves mid-season prospect list?

CC: MLB.com had him 9th, and I think that’s about right in a deep farm system. Same spot he was with Texas. I thought the return on that deal was fantastic for Atlanta, considering they added those two pitchers on under-the-radar moves in late May and were rewarded greatly for their pickups with Demeritte.

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TT: What’s the value of a guy like Jim Johnson outside the Braves community? How do you think other teams are viewing him? After coming back from the DL in June, he has a 2.08 ERA and is touching mid-90’s on the radar gun

CC: He’ll cost a lot less than guys like Andrew Miller or Wade Davis on the trade market, so he’ll draw interest. Perfect late-inning guy for a contender to add on a rental. I would say he’s the most likely Brave to be dealt at this point; it just makes too much sense for them to deal him.

TT: Does Erick Aybar have any trade value?

CC: Obviously, he’s struggled this year and it makes teams wary about giving up a young piece for him. I think Atlanta will sell low on him just because he’s a free agent at the end of the year. Possibly a utility-type for a contender.

TT: It looks hardly doubtful that the Braves will trade Julio Teheran. Do you feel this is the smart move?

CC: He’s controllable, and the Braves are looking at controllable major-league starters. I think it’s smart to at least listen to offers on an extreme sellers market for pitchers (as evidenced by the Harrell/Alvarez return), but he does seem like a guy they want to build around. I credit them for sticking to that.

TT: Many folks have said the Braves will be very aggressive this offseason. What is your expectations on who can be added?

CC: A couple names I’m thinking now: Matt Wieters and Yoenis Cespedes.

Next: Evaluating Travis Demeritte On and Off The Field

TT: Since you have a birds-eye view of the Atlanta Braves organization as you cover all of the MLB, what is your opinion on the organization and where they’re heading?

CC: I think they’ve done a great job being clear that this is a full teardown and re-build, and then executing that. They have a ton of prospect options and are growing a core that could be a contender in a few years. Making moves like the Harrell/Norris/Grilli deals are really smart, and I’d expect to see them do more of those type things before Monday at 4.