4 Atlanta Braves position players to (possibly) deal at the deadline

Who Stays?  Or better yet, who should consider month-to-month lease options for housing?

With the trade deadline in about a month, Atlanta Braves fans have started to consider what players they could deal with perhaps being gone in lieu of making the 2019 version of the Atlanta Braves better.

Below is a list of position players that I think teams would take in trades. Pitching is obviously king, but that won’t be the focus here.  While there are surplus arms available – and those would be highly sought after – the Braves might be asked to include position players, and those are in shorter supply.

Thus these are players that I think would aid in bringing good returns as well as players that I don’t think that we would miss, given the fact that we’d get a good package in return.

4.     Travis Demeritte

When the Braves acquired Travis Demeritte from the Texas Rangers for Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez in 2016, it seemed like they got a steal. Demeritte was coming off a big season in the California League where he bashed 25 home runs in just 88 games. After spending the last month of the season in Carolina with the Mudcats, he totaled 28 home runs on the year. He also struck out 175 times.

The Winder, Georgia native kept his power numbers up during the 2017 and 2018 with 32 home runs, but mustered just a .232 batting average, striking out 274 times.

Now, Demeritte hasn’t ever been what I’d call an ‘on base machine’, but in 2019 with Gwinnett, he’s really turned it around and has appeared to become a more complete hitter. The middle infielder is hitting .304 as of June 28 with 15 home runs and an on-base-percentage that’s his highest mark since his 39 games in rookie ball in 2013.

Demeritte, age 24, profiles as a solid defender that has significant experience at every position besides third base and catcher. He could serve as a trade piece and would be sent to a team where he could finally get a shot in the major leagues. At this juncture, I don’t see him figuring into the Atlanta Braves plans this season.

3.     Adam Duvall

After two straight all-star seasons with the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 and 2017 seasons where he socked 64 home runs, he was on the way to becoming a household name in the National League.

In 2018, he struggled. While he still hit 15 home runs but hit just .205. Now keep in mind, Duvall has always been the type of power hitter that had a relatively low average but struck out a lot. A deadline trade for Lucas Sims, Matt Wisler and Preston Tucker brought him over to the Atlanta Braves where he hit rock bottom, providing no production and batting just .195.

A lackluster spring training saw him get optioned to AAA Gwinnett, where he has seemed to return to relative form. He’s batting .261 with 22 home runs and 58 runs batted in. Very solid numbers, but also numbers being produced in the minors.

Someone in need of a major league caliber outfielder, or a power bat could bite on Duvall at the deadline. The San Francisco Giants have been long linked to wanting an outfielder, and Duvall came up through their organization.

2.     William Contreras

The brother of Cubs antagonist Willson Contreras, William has gained some notice as a prospect over the past two seasons. He’s graded by many scouts as being a plus defender and having an excellent arm, with questions about his offense. Not to conjure up bad juju, but this kind of sounds like Christian Bethancourt, except Bethancourt got a lot more hype than Contreras has so far.

In Rome in 2018, Contreras impressed with his pop, hitting 11 dingers for the Braves’ South Atlantic circuit team. In a promotion to the Florida Fire Frogs, his power did not show, though he hit .263 over parts of two seasons with the club.

A mid-season promotion to Mississippi hasn’t panned out well thus far, albeit a small sample size. Contreras has managed just a .196 batting average since the promotion. At 21, there’s plenty of time to improve, but the difference between a starting catcher and a back-up catcher in the big leagues is offensive-driven.

Contreras could serve as a nice complimentary piece in a trade at the deadline, and is expendable with Shea Langeliers being drafted and the Braves’ success in signing catchers as free agents- since Kurt Suzuki, Tyler Flowers and Brian McCann have all panned out well.

If if Contreras is sought after in a deal, I’d rather deal him than run into another Bethancourt situation where Contreras ends up as a back-up catcher, at best.

1.   Ender Inciarte

Whenever Ender comes back from the disabled list, the Atlanta Braves will have a difficult decision to make. Who will head to the minors to make room for him on the 25-man roster? A lot of folks would consider Johan Camargo, who could be on this list as well.

I do think that if the deal is right, Ender would be a good fit. Why? He’s on a team friendly deal, controllable for up to 3 more seasons.

Say what you want about his offensive struggles, but Ender is a capable player- he had a 201 hit season in 2016 and has three gold gloves to his credit. Based off defense and speed alone, he would be an asset to any team (of course that includes the Atlanta Braves, too).

I picture Ender being dealt if he’s a part of a package to get someone like, say, San Francisco Giants pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith.

Trading Ender has been discussed several times. Inciarte is the type of player that will be a valuable piece of a deal, but I suspect that he would not be moved unless it was the type of blockbuster moved described above.