Braves Talk Radio Sparks Wild Trade Debate With Paul Skenes & ATL Rookies

Let's make this clear before diving into the topic -- all of the following is from fantasyland. Or, the land of make believe, as baseball historian Chris Dimino likes to call it.

It's from Nevereverland, the world of pure imagination or whatever other imaginary land you believed in as a child.

In other words, it's not real. If you prefer hard news, this discussion won't be for you.

But on Monday, the Atlanta Braves didn't have a game for the first in three and a half weeks. Hard news was a little difficult to come by.

So, Monday afternoon, Dimino and other baseball radio hosts Matt Chernoff, Chuck Oliver and Nick Cellini wondered aloud if the Braves had the trade chips available to land Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes. They also questioned if the Braves should even consider trying to trade for Skenes because of the outrageous price it would cost to acquire him.

"You know the Pirates aren't going to take on anybody's bad contracts. They don't want your overpriced whatever because that's not who they are," Dimino said. "That's not what they do.

"So I will say, Pittsburgh picks up the phone and says, 'Here's what we want: We want AJ Smith-Shawver, I want Drake Baldwin, and I want [Hurston] Waldrep."

"I just hung up on you," responded Chernoff.

"That's what I said," Dimino said in agreement. "So, what about two of them?"

It was still a non-starter for Chernoff.

"I'm not giving up Baldwin. I'm not giving up an everyday player, and a pitcher," Chernoff argued. "I love Skenes. Nothing against him. I'm not giving up an everyday player."

However, Oliver was adamant he would want Skenes.

"In a heartbeat. I would do it in a heartbeat. There you go. They're yours [Baldwin and Smith-Shawver]," said Oliver.

"No, not for one pitcher," Chernoff responded. "The guy plays once a week."

"The guy could win a Cy Young. He's going to give me 30-32 starts," quipped Oliver in response.

The hypothetical conversation actually only grew more interesting from there. If the Pirates were to offer Skenes to the Braves, Dimino said Atlanta should not make an offer, instead let the Pirates say who they are interested in.

"Chuck, you are the Pirates side, I'm the Braves side. Ask me what you want [for Skenes]."

"Michael Harris ... I think everyone is going to start with Michael Harris because you can bet on the calm a little."

Oliver then said he would want Baldwin also included in the trade along with an unnamed pitcher.

It's worth wondering if the Pirates would be interested in Harris because of his contract. It's a relatively affordable deal, but an eight-year, $72 million contract nonetheless that doesn't expire until 2033. The final two years of the deal are club options.

Harris, who is the same age as Baldwin, is slashing .222/.258/.339 with 13 extra-base hits in 196 plate appearances this season. However, Harris still provides great defense in center field and won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2022.

After the hypothetical trade segment Monday, Braves fans reacted on social media with what they would do or offer for Skenes.

Since everyone else is, I'll go ahead and share my opinion. I'm a big believer in everything having it's price. However, Baldwin is about untradeable as it gets right now.

The 24-year-old is batting .439 with five home runs in his last 70 plate appearances. This month, he's hitting .531 with a 1.406 OPS.

Sure, it's a small sample, and the Braves would be selling high if they traded him right now. But I just can't see giving up a young catcher who by all indications is great defensively and hits for average along with some power.

The kid is already one of Atlanta's toughest mental players as well. Baldwin is 4-for-9 with four RBI as a pinch hitter this season. He's 10-for-22 (.455) in at-bats after the seventh inning.

I guess what that means is if I were the Pirates, I would accept a Skenes swap that sent Baldwin and Smith-Shawver to Pittsburgh.

Like Baldwin, Smith-Shawver has been a stud lately. He is 3-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 38.2 innings this season. The right-hander has given up just two earned runs in his last 19.2 innings.

The concern for Pittsburgh in this hypothetical deal is buying high on two rookies currently on hot streaks. But Baldwin and Smith-Shawver have been highly rated prospects for years. They are now showing their worth at the MLB level.

I don't foresee Skenes signing a second contract in Pittsburgh for two reasons. First, he could ink the most expensive deal for a pitcher in history. The Pirates aren't doing that.

Secondly, why would Skenes want to stay?

The Pirates made no real effort to improve their roster knowing Skenes would be at the front of their rotation this season. If nothing changes, why would he want to remain in that environment by choice?

Unless the Pirates are committed to a change, then trading Skenes makes sense, and the earlier they do it, the more they are likely to get in return.

Yet, he still might not be enough to get the Braves to part with Baldwin or Smith-Shawver.

To be clear, Monday's conversation was purely hypothetical. Skenes isn't on the trade block. But the trade conversations around Skenes aren't going away unless the Pirates can find a way to not lose 1-0 with him on the mound.