Atlanta Braves ‘not yet seriously engaged’ in trade talks
It’s still technically not quite Summer, and we’re certainly not yet into Trade Deadline month. But is anything going on yet involving the Braves?
MLB Network reporter Jon Paul Morosi was moonlighting yesterday afternoon on MLBNetworkRadio on XM. He opted to go with something that’s part of his speciality: trade deadline questions from all angles. Naturally, the Atlanta Braves came up during the conversation.
We don’t have the audio, but we do have a paraphrase of the answer he gave to a question about what the Braves are going to do about third base… and he answered the question in broader, more generic terms.
At this point, Morosi’s sources are telling him that the Braves have yet to seriously engage any team in trade discussions.
This isn’t a ‘hands-off’ or ‘do nothing’ approach: this is using time to their advantage.
As of this writing on the morning of June 21st, the Braves still lead the NL East by 3½ games as the Nationals seem to be doing all they possibly can to keep the Braves not just ‘involved’ in this race, but up on top. The Nats are actually a bit lucky to have punched out a 4-run 7th inning for a win on Tuesday, the way things have been going for them:
But it’s still these plucky Braves that are doing more than just hanging around. They are clearly putting pressure on Washington (which may have been evident by their early-in-the-season trade for Kelvin Herrera). They are also buying time for both themselves and for Alex Anthopoulos.
Scheduling Conflux
The sentiment expressed by Morosi indicated that the Braves may not even have to be playing great over the next 5 weeks for Anthopoulos to be a deadline buyer. They just need to be ‘close enough’.
Right now, Atlanta is going through probably the softest part of their schedule that they will enjoy for the majority of the year. That lasts through the Cincinnati series next Wednesday.
They are 6-2 during this stretch with 6 games coming up against the Orioles and Reds. Time to post some extra W’s.
After that and through the All-Star break, mettle will be tested:
- Cardinals (3)
- Yankees (3)
- Brewers (4)
- All of these games come on consecutive days – on the road.
They will finish up at home vs. the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks; those already in Washington for the All-Star game may opt to stick around for the Nationals series immediately following. Probably not the best way to re-engage after the break, but it is what it is.
As such, it appears that AA is going to take full advantage of this extra time to make certain he has as much information as he can get to make decisions on just how far the Braves might be able to extend this breakout season.
Market Reactions
You might have a reaction of “But… but all the good trade targets will be gone by the time he finally gets moving!”
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Not likely. While the Nationals’ quick deal was a bit of a surprise, those situations are much more the exception than the rule, and the markets – especially for third basemen – will still favor the buyers after the All-Star break.
Also of note: I will warn you now… Alex Anthopoulos runs a tight ship. If there isn’t a rumor popping from some other club, then you may hear nothing from the Braves until there are hugs being exchanged in some faraway dugout. So rumor news will be limited.
At the same time, though, he hasn’t shied away from The Big Deal either. That was not uncommon during his tenure in Toronto.
So do not mistake inaction as inattentiveness on the part of Anthopoulos. When the time is right, he will strike.
I think I can guarantee that.