An old Braves friend has rebuilt his value ahead of the trade deadline

Braves fans might not be having a very exciting trade deadline, but there are plenty of old friends who are going to join contenders.

Charlie Morton is garnering plenty of interest, which isn’t too surprising since he’s posted a sub-3.50 ERA following a horrific start to the season, but he’s not the only one.

Michael Soroka, who signed with the Nationals this past offseason, has rebuilt his value ahead of the trade deadline and is drawing interest from multiple contenders, according to Jon Morosi.

Soroka’s journey since leaving Atlanta has been turbulent. He was initially traded to the White Sox, where he struggled as a starter, posting a 6.39 ERA and an alarming 6.76 FIP over his first nine starts, but a move to the bullpen benefited him.

Over 16 appearances as a reliever, Soroka posted a 2.75 ERA and an identical 2.75 FIP. His strikeout numbers were impressive too, punching out 60 batters across 36 innings.

The resurging Soroka was signed by the Braves’ division rivals, but it didn’t quite work out how the Nationals had hoped initially, posting an unsightly 5.81 ERA across his first six starts. Since then though, the Braves’ fan favorite has turned things around.

Across his last nine starts, Soroka owns a 4.21 ERA, which isn’t exactly inspiring, but his 3.71 FIP suggests positive regression is coming, and his ERA was inflated by an outing against the Red Sox in which he gave up seven runs in four innings. That’s 43.0 innings with only 15 earned runs given up.

The Braves aren’t going to be buyers, but some contender might be interested in Soroka filling in the back of their rotation. That’s a storyline Braves Country get can get behind down the stretch of the season.