Are the Padres doing what we want the Atlanta Braves to do?

In three swift moves, San Diego is clearly trying to surpass the Atlanta Braves and challenge the Dodgers.

Yes:  the primary object in the Padres’ sights is that division rival to their Northwest”  the Dodgers.  LA has had a stranglehold on the NL West for years now, and the Padres are trying to end that.  Make no mistake, though:  the Atlanta Braves are also on their minds.

Last Winter, Padres’ GM A.J. Preller was publicly challenged by his owner to win.  Certainly, they improved quite dramatically, which kept Preller employed to this point.  So now the Padres are going further — a lot further — in an attempt to build a World Series contender.

In case you haven’t noticed their news, San Diego has done this since

Christmas Day

yesterday:

• Sent 4 players to Tampa Bay for starter Blake Snell.
• Reportedly have nearly reached an agreement with Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim.  In theory, he’d play second base for San Diego.
• Beyond that, there’s now multiple reports that they have a blockbuster deal nearly completed that will make Yu Darvish a Padre.

The idea of landing two frontline starters is almost shocking.

As it stands, the Padres are essentially setting the trade prices for all other teams seeking to acquire elite pitching… or any other controllable players of significance.

There’s another recent deal that may also assist GM’s in setting a price for their assets:  the Pirates and Nationals got together on a deal to send 1B Josh Bell to D.C. for two pitching prospects.  Bell definitely has long-ball potential, though there are some questions about him after having a down 2020 after a superb 2019.

That, in turn, leads to a couple of questions related to the Atlanta Braves:

• Will that generate an answer from Alex Anthopoulos? 
• Will he now choose to use his available trade pieces — mostly upper-level minor league pitching — in a deal?
• Will other teams make a “big bat” available at such rates?

Anthopoulos has been rock-steady patient in his dealings and has recently said directly that he will not “force” a trade deal.  One could argue that this is what the Padres are doing right now:  the Rays got a strong return back, and the Cubs likely will do well also.

The Atlanta Braves still have several possible trade assets of their own, and it’s quite likely that (a) there won’t be room at the major league level for all of them; and (b) there will be some that stumble over that threshold between the minors and majors.

Before these trades, it is arguable that the MLB trade market was stuck in neutral, with teams uncertain about how to value their assets, whether you’re talking about prospects or targeted impact players.  These deals should set the bar and help greatly to resolve those questions.

Earlier today, Jake posed the question of where the Braves rank among the National League teams — that after the San Diego deal to acquire Snell.  Regardless of your answer, it is clear that the Atlanta Braves are solidly in their ‘win now’ window of opportunity.

So with the time being right, the currency costs settled, and the assets in place… perhaps it is finally time for Anthopoulos to make his best deal for the bat (or bats) that this offense needs.

The Cubs are now clearly in “sell” mode if Darvish is indeed gone… they have bats available.  The Pirates are selling.  The Reds are selling.  The Rockies should be selling… and most teams aren’t really looking for the same kind of hitting that the Braves are seeking.

So whether you’re trying to “keep pace” with San Diego or to simply fill out the roster (oh, and the Mets haven’t done a lot yet, either), maybe it’s time… time to make That Big Trade Deal that puts Atlanta over the top.