Some pitchers the Atlanta Braves could acquire in season
By James Kunkle
1. Corey Kluber – Rangers
Despite the fact it was only a few months ago when the Texas Rangers traded for Corey Kluber for not a whole lot it seems, he could very well be the largest fish in the trade deadline pond this upcoming season.
Coming off a injury-plagued 2019 season that saw Kluber make only 7 starts, it was easily his worst season in some time as between 2014-2018, Kluber never finished out of the top ten in Cy Young voting, including winning the award twice.
If Kluber can rebound anywhere near his pre-2019 version, he will be a heavy trade target assuming the Rangers are out of the race come the deadline.
2. Mike Minor – Rangers
An old familiar friend might be coming back to the Atlanta Braves perhaps?
Mike Minor has pitched the best baseball of his career since leaving the Atlanta Braves after the 2014 season. In 2019 alone, his WAR was 7.7.
Originally drafted with the seventh overall pick of the 2009 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves, Minor spent a few seasons with the big league club before going off to the Kansas City Royals.
Minor is scheduled to make just a tad under $10M AAV in 2020 (pro-rated for lost games); he is also scheduled to hit free agency again at the conclusion of the season.
Just like Kluber earlier, I expect Texas will look to deal him if they are out of the race.
3. Kyle Hendricks – Cubs
As mentioned earlier, I expect the Chicago Cubs to still hover around the playoff races, but if indications are true, they could still elect to sell a little at the deadline and try to get some money off the books.
If that’s the case Kyle Hendricks could be on the move to another organization.
The good news is throughout his career thus far, Hendricks has never had an ERA larger than 3.95.
The bad news that will truthfully probably scare the Atlanta Braves away is the contract. Hendricks is owed $12M for 2020, and $14M for 2021, 2022, and 2023. That contract also converts a team option into a vested $16M extra year in 2024 if Hendricks finishes top three in this year’s Cy Young voting.