GM sends bold message on Braves trade deadline

“Alex (Anthopoulos) is always a buyer”

With Ronald Acuna Jr.’s season-ending injury, the Braves are widely expected to be active at this year’s trade deadline.

I expect Atlanta to be looking for an outfielder, but it’s way too early in the summer to make any commitments. Pitching is always necessary because injuries and hardships are unavoidable. If another starter is injured, it may have an impact on Alex Anthopoulos’ plans. Hell, if Adam Duvall and Jarred Kelenic are capable of starting every game, Anthopoulos may be able to prioritize other issues.

There are numerous circumstances that might compel AA to change his approach to the trade deadline, but one thing is certain: the Braves GM will be ‘wheelin’ and dealin’, as Jeff Passan notes.

“When asked whether the Braves should be buyers after Ronald Acuna Jr.’s season-ending ACL tear and the team’s not-quite-up-to-snuff start, one GM chuckled and said: ‘Alex is always a buyer,'” Passan mentioned an anonymous GM.

Despite Acuna’s injuries and offensive woes, this lineup is entirely capable, as it is, of contributing to a World Series. That is how good the Atlanta pitching staff is right now. That is not how its opponents view it, however.

Despite losing the reigning NL MVP, other teams still perceive Atlanta’s biggest need on the mound. The bats are bound to come around, and Anthopoulos will look for complementary pieces,” Passan said. Meanwhile, officials believe Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez will regress. Charlie Morton is forty years old. And Spencer Strider’s season-ending Tommy John surgery has left Atlanta in need of additional depth.

There is reason to assume Reynaldo Lopez may regress, but I don’t see anything slowing Chris Sale down until it is an injury.

Sale was named the National League Pitcher of the Month after posting a perfect 5-0 record with a 0.56 ERA. Regarding regression, his NL-leading 2.49 FIP indicates that his 3.06 ERA is not a fluke and should be significantly lower. Lopez’s 1.73 ERA will undoubtedly decline, but his 2.72 FIP implies that the decline will not be substantial.

That is not to say that pitching will not be a top goal for the Braves at the trade deadline, as much may change in the next two months. Alex Anthopoulos will work the phones to improve the roster, even if it is only 1% better.