Atlanta Braves: Updated list of potential trade targets

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – APRIL 16: Mike Minor #23 of the Texas Rangers throws against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on April 16, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Since we just arrived at the quarter mark of the season, it’s time to look around the standings and update our list of proposed trade targets the Atlanta Braves could be interested in.

We are going to break it down in three segments based on needs for the Atlanta Braves. Starting pitching, relief pitching, and then bats. Let’s get right into it.

First off, I’m going to exclude Madison Bumgarner from this article. We all know his situation, and we all know how valuable he could be for the Atlanta Braves or any other team.

Starting Targets

1. Mike Minor

An old friend that could be useful in a couple of different ways, Mike Minor has both started games and pitched out of the bullpen in Texas.

This year, however, he is pitching well exclusively as a starter. I think it’s important to keep in mind the Atlanta Braves could look to acquire starting pitching this summer if they want to limit the innings of Mike Soroka and Max Fried later this summer. Besides, its not like Minor wouldn’t be an upgrade over Julio Teheran or, arguably, Kevin Gausman.

2. Marcus Stroman

Marcus Stroman has bounced back from a bad 2018 season to being above average again in 2019. If you examine his 2018 season, you will notice Stroman was the recipient of a lot of bad luck.

Reports are already surfacing that Toronto is starting the rebuild and everyone is available besides Vlad Guerrero Jr.

If the Atlanta Braves were to acquire Stroman, they would also have him under contract for 2020.

3. Robbie Ray

Robbie Ray has electric stuff and can strike out hitters with the best of them. One potential problem here could be the Arizona Diamondbacks early season success.

Many people, including myself, thought they would be around the Giants in the standings after trading many players away this past winter.

One last potential problem could be that Robbie Ray tends to only go 5 or 6 innings at the most due to his frequent high pitch counts.

The Braves might tend to go for a pitcher who goes longer in games due to the bullpen issues.

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