The Braves will complete the first half of the season with a series against the Padres, followed by a dash to the MLB Trade Deadline, where Alex Anthopoulos is expected to be busy.
When it comes to the Braves’ primary roster needs, outfield and shortstop are no longer up for argument. Is it likely that Anthopoulos will locate a replacement for Orlando Arcia? No, but that does not change the fact that it is a pressing need.
The outfield, on the other hand, will be easier to acquire, and the Braves should end up with several, similar to the 2021 deadline that catapulted them to the World Series.
Even though most Braves fans agree on those two roster needs, all I see from MLB analysts is pitching. Granted, you can never have too much of it in this league, but Atlanta’s rotation is strong.
Max Fried, Chris Sale, and Reynaldo Lopez can match up against any 1-2-3 in baseball. All three have been chosen All-Stars, and the starting lineup also includes Charlie Morton, Spencer Schwellenbach, Bryce Elder, Ian Anderson, and AJ Smith-Shawver.
A lot may change in the next few weeks, but the Braves don’t need a starter right now unless it’s a move Anthopoulos can’t pass up or a player that fills the vacuum left by Max Fried and Charlie Morton’s departure in 2025.
Still, Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes the Braves will be looking for a starter, listing them as one of three potential landing locations for Erick Fedde.
“It appears veteran starter Erick Fedde is the White Sox player most likely to be traded, with the Cardinals, Orioles and Braves as the most likely landing spots.”
The 31-year-old is having a tremendous year, with a sub-3.00 ERA over 111.1 innings and coming off an outing in which he threw five scoreless frames. His return to the majors is nothing short of a Disney film.
He spent the previous six seasons overseas, posting an abysmal 5.41 ERA, but he remade himself in Korea in 2023, adding a sweeper and deleting his curveball.
Having an abundance of talented pitchers is never a bad thing. So, if an opportunity to acquire Fedde arises, the Braves should be prepared to act quickly. I believe that teams should simply hoard good players and figure things out later.
