Trade Deadline: Arms Race in NL West Effecting Braves Motivation

Could the three-headed monster in the National League West be dictating just how aggressive the Atlanta Braves are at the trade deadline. 

If you were to ask Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos this question he’d surely say they’re not worrying about what other teams are doing.

But let’s be honest, it has to be playing a factor in how active they will be leading up to the deadline.

The main nemesis resides on the Westcoast where that division has a big three in the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres.

You can say pretty confidently that all three of those teams are head-and-shoulders above this current Braves team.

Then you have to consider a couple of things.

One, just how much better will they get at the deadline.

Two, can the Braves really do anything at the deadline to put them on the same level.

To answer the first question, the Padres are all-in. They already acquired Adam Frazier and are apparently about to get the best starting pitcher on the market in Max Scherzer.

There are already talks that if that happens the Dodgers will pivot and go after Jose Berrios and/or Jon Gray.

And the Giants have been rumored to have interest in big bats like Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant. They’re also in on Scherzer if he doesn’t go to San Diego.

With those teams taking up all the best trade pieces — and the Yankees taking Joey Gallo — what does that leave the Braves with?

We’ve been searching everywhere trying to find that big impact bat the Braves could get and there just isn’t much out there.

I was searching so hard today that I considered Wil Myers and was about to write an article on that before I woke up and realized how ridiculous that would be — which means it will probably happen.

As Mark Bowman pointed out here, it will take a significant move for this mediocre team to compete this year.

I just don’t see a significant move out there that can realistically happen that would put this Braves team in the same stratosphere as those three teams out West.

That’s why I’ve been of the mindset that AA does minimal at this deadline. Maybe he has something sneaky up his sleeve that’s going to surprise us all — and I know that’s what optimistic Braves fans are hoping — but I just don’t see it happening.