2 Braves starters who need to be changed

If the offensive production continues, the Braves will win a lot of games in the second half of the season, and there are a couple of additions Alex Anthopoulos can make before the trade deadline to make things simpler.

Orlando Arcia

Orlando Arcia was an entertaining story last season. Arcia, who was acquired for pennies from the Brewers before the start of the 2022 season, proved to be a capable alternative for Ozzie Albies and eventually took over as the team’s primary shortstop after Dansby Swanson left. That was surprising enough, but no one expected him to have an All-Star season, which he deserved based on his play in the first half of last season.

However, substantial regression has continued ever since. After a scorching hot start to the season, Orlando Arcia has a.163 hitting average and.477 OPS in his last 50 games. His average for the year is now flirting with the Mendoza Line, and his OPS has dropped below.600, but this has been a concern since the All-Star break last season. Since July 15th of last year, he has hit just.221 with a 73 wRC+ (27% lower than the league average).

A couple of months ago, one could argue that Arcia’s defense was so outstanding that it compensated for his offensive flaws, but that hasn’t been the case lately. Over the last year, he’s essentially been a slightly above-average defensive player who is an automatic out at the plate, as he was for the majority of his tenure with the Brewers.

After the manner Arcia finished last season, the Braves decided to take a chance on him to be their starting shortstop in 2024. It hasn’t worked out, and the time to start looking into other options was a month ago.

There may not be a viable shortstop available at the trade deadline. Bo Bichette is a name to watch, but the Braves’ best option may be to rely on what they already have in Nacho Alvarez. He’s one of the team’s best prospects and has been on a run since his recent promotion to Gwinnett, hitting.375 with a 1.080 OPS in 11 games. If these tendencies continue, I expect to see Alvarez at some point.

Adam Duvall

For as bad as Orlando Arcia has been at the plate during the last 50 games, Adam Duvall’s 2024 season has been similarly bad. He’s hitting.170 with six home runs and a.564 OPS in 57 games this season, earning -0.7 WAR.

The numbers have been especially bad versus right-handed pitching. In 95 at-bats, Duvall is hitting.095 with an OPS of.247. He’s been pretty formidable against lefties in terms of hitting.263 with six home runs and a.900 OPS in 91 plate appearances.

Adam Duvall was brought in as a platoon option, but with Ronald Acuña Jr.’s season-ending injury, his role has shifted. Improving the outfield is a no-brainer. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if Duvall breaks out of his slump, but even then, he shouldn’t face many right-handed pitchers.