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The Braves’ pitching staff has been the best in baseball, and that continued over the weekend, as Atlanta took two out of three from the Nationals, despite only scoring seven combined runs.
On the season, Atlanta’s pitching staff ranks 2nd in ERA and WAR, as well as 1st in FIP, xFIP, and K-BB%. It’s remarkable considering the Braves are doing all of this without Spencer Strider, the odds-on favorite for the Cy Young coming into the year, who only made two starts this season.
Reynaldo Lopez has also missed some time, along with Max Fried and a few key pieces in the bullpen. Most recently, the club watched A.J. Minter go under the knife. He will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury that has bothered him for most of the year. It’s a tough blow for the Braves, and probably even more discouraging for Minter, who is in the final year of his contract and was hoping for a big payday this offseason.
Whether that happens now remains to be seen, but A.J. Minter made it very clear where his heart lies ahead of his free agency. He took to Instagram to share some thoughts with Braves Country, ending with “Rehab starts today and my number one goal is to get healthy so that hopefully I can help this organization win another World Series next year.”
AJ clearly wants to stay
pic.twitter.com/LH2BloF6Cd
— Elaine Day (@elaine_day) August 23, 2024
The Braves southpaw has become Atlanta’s most reliable reliever since debuting in 2017, with a 3.28 ERA and 36 saves in 384 games. Since 2020, he’s been even better, owning a 2.85 ERA and 1.086 WHIP.
He’s also been incredibly productive in the postseason. Minter has made 20 appearances over the years with Atlanta in the playoffs, putting together a 2.88 ERA, with 13 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Texas native has spent his entire career in Atlanta, and a one-year deal to potentially rebuild his free agent value could make a lot of sense for both sides. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex Anthopoulos still gave him a multi-year contract.
Hopefully, A.J. Minter is here to stay.
More must-reads:
- The three most confusing MLB trade-deadline deals
- Did the Padres trade away their future?
- The '250-strikeout MLB seasons' quiz
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Did the Padres trade away their future?
The San Diego Padres have traded their top prospect, Leodalis De Vries, in exchange for the Athletics All-Star closer Mason Miller and left-hander JP Sears. The 18-year-old De Vries was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in baseball by MLB.com and the top prospect in the Padres’ farm system. De Vries was the top prospect in the 2024 international class, signing with the Padres for $4.2 million. He rose quickly through the Padres’ system and reached High-A, where he posted a .767 OPS. Under general manager A.J. Preller, San Diego has become known for blockbuster moves, having traded away future All-Stars James Wood, C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore since 2022. The trio was traded to acquire superstar Juan Soto, who is no longer with the organization. Prior to being traded, none of the three had reached the same prospect status as De Vries. The Padres are clearly all-in, hoping to maximize their window with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts. They’ve reached the postseason in two of the past three seasons, failing to win a pennant either time. The trade boosts their World Series odds and strengthens a bullpen that already owns the best ERA in baseball, but it jeopardizes their future. How long the Padres can continue trading away future All-Stars before facing the consequences of a depleted farm system remains to be seen. Trading away De Vries clearly prioritizes the present over the future. If the Padres don’t make a meaningful push in this year’s postseason, they may live to regret this trade for years to come.
Erik Karlsson's Trade Demands to the Penguins Release Publicly
Erik Karlsson is one of a few Penguins likely on the move soon, and now the one thing the veteran blue liner wants in a new team has been officially revealed. After missing the Stanley cup Playoffs for three straight seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins come into this off-season as sellers, with the trio of Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson becoming notable names in trade speculation. While all three have a high likelihood of being moved as Kyle Dubas and the Penguins look towards the future, NHL Insider Frank Seravalli has suggested this off-season that Karlsson is the most likely of all to be moved in the summer. Now, Seravalli has followed up on the speculation, revealing another key piece of this scenario, as the veteran NHL Insider notes the one demand that Karlsson has in potential trade talks. According to Seravalli, Karlsson wants a chance to win, and given the contract that a team would potentially need to take on to bring him in, it's safe to say that only contending teams out there would be interested, with very little in it for teams that won't be chasing a Stanley Cup in the near future. As of right now, there are very few teams around the NHL that could fit Karlsson in as well as giving him the opportunity to win, with Detroit, Dallas and Carolina three teams that fit the bill, with all three having rumoured interest in an upgrade on their blue line. Ultimately, all the signs this off-season point to Karlsson being moved at some point before the 2025/26 campaign begins, and while the options are limited given his contract and his desire to win, there's no reason why a trade can't be made in the next few months.
Lakers reportedly monitoring two-time All-Star's availability
The Los Angeles Lakers finished last season with a dud after propelling to the third seed of the Western Conference, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. The one thing that the Wolves exposed was the Lakers' lack of an inside presence. The center spot was weak once they traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic midway through the season, but they found a way to manage despite putrid numbers coming from the center position. The Lakers were bottom five in both rebounds and points per game for centers during the regular season after the All-Star break. However, in the postseason, the numbers got worse. They tried to use their original starting center, Jaxson Hayes, to man the paint, but he only played 7.8 minutes per game while only scoring 1.8 points and grabbing two rebounds per contest. This team knows it needs extreme levels of help for the center spot, which is why it is reportedly looking at a former All-Star center's situation. Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints reported that the Lakers are closely monitoring the situation between Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have shipped out several key players over the last year, with Vucevic being the lone former All-Star still on the roster. As his trade market winds down, some have speculated that a potential buyout is on the horizon. However, Chicago Bulls insider K.C. Johnson reported on "The Fastbreak" podcast that the Bulls have no intentions of a buyout and would like to move him for assets at the trade deadline. Vucevic would be a massive upgrade alongside Deandre Ayton, whom the Lakers signed earlier in the offseason. Vucevic put up very impressive numbers last season, averaging 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field in 73 games. His career numbers are just as impressive, and he's a former two-time All-Star as well. The Lakers should continue to monitor Vucevic and assess the Bulls' ultimate plan for him. With Ayton already in the fold, a trade for Vucevic could put them at the top of the Western Conference.
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Former Braves beat writer blames ownership, defends Alex Anthopoulos
The Braves’ trade deadline has come and gone, with Alex Anthopoulos failing to make a single notable move. Atlanta’s President of Baseball Operations brought in Erick Fedde and Carlos Carrasco to eat some innings for the rotation, while also adding Tyler Kinley, who is an interesting bullpen arm. The Braves did somehow trade Rafael Montero, who the Tigers acquired in exchange for infield prospect Jim Jarvis. Despite boasting the fourth-worst record in baseball, Alex Anthopoulos didn’t trade any of the players many expected to be moved at the deadline. Marcell Ozuna was understandable. He had 10-and-5 rights, but more than that, Ozuna is a hurt DH that has struggled to hit .160 over the last two months. That’s pretty understandable, but none of the team’s relievers? That makes no sense. Anthopoulos didn’t have to move Pierce Johnson, Aaron Bummer, and Dylan Lee if the offers weren’t enticing enough because they’re under team control next season. But Iglesias? There’s no excuse not to trade him. It’s almost indefensible. Across his last 21 appearances, Iglesias owns a 2.29 ERA and 2.18 FIP. There’s no way a contender wasn’t interested in his services. Simply put, the Braves botched the trade deadline, and the only person to blame is Alex Anthopoulos, right? Wrong, I guess. Former Braves beat writer Justin Toscano, who parted ways with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this season, is pointing the finger at ownership, not Anthopoulos. His opinion: “This deadline reeks of Liberty Media not wanting the Braves to sell more and have fan interest — money — drop.” Any insinuation that the Braves’ ownership group forced Alex Anthopoulos not to trade away players because it would result in less revenue is pretty unbelievable. Braves fans are buying tickets to come see Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson, and Aaron Bummer? That’s hilarious. Braves fans buy tickets to see Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy, and Drake Baldwin. I can understand the bottom line in business. I’m not naive, but to believe Alex Anthopoulos didn’t trade Raisel Iglesias because of pressure from ownership, that’s just mental gymnastics. It’s okay to criticize Anthopoulos. But let’s just go along with Toscano’s theory. If Liberty Media is strong-arming Anthopoulos, we’ve got much bigger issues. An ownership group that is actively hindering an executive from doing his job is a recipe for disaster. Going from World Series contender to one of the worst teams in baseball could even be the result of it. It would also mean that Alex Anthopoulos is not only carrying out their wishes but is actively deceiving the fan base with the talk of payroll rising and money not being an issue. It would be one of the biggest stories in sports. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I have to believe it’s unlikely.
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