Grading Braves trade deadline acquisitions after three weeks

The sample size remains rather small, and there’s no question the Braves still should have done more to address the pitching staff as a whole. But when looking solely at this deal, calling it an absolute slam dunk is the only proper way to describe it. All it took to acquire Mahle was Anthony Molina, a journeyman reliever with a 6.00 ERA. Even if Mahle struggles the rest of the way, it will go down as a really good trade.

Lane Thomas — Grade: B+

The highest-ranked prospect the Braves traded away was Lucas Braun, who was sent to the Royals in return for Lane Thomas. I don’t believe Atlanta is going to lose any sleep over that when it’s all said and done. Braun has posted a 5.40 ERA over his first three starts for Triple-A Omaha and just hasn’t shown enough swing-and-miss in his repertoire to suggest he could be an impactful major-leaguer one day.

Meanwhile, Thomas has had a quality start to his time in an Atlanta uniform. The club is using him almost exclusively against left-handed pitching, which he’s crushed throughout his career, and so far he’s sporting a .761 OPS over his first 14 games. The platoon of Thomas and Mike Yastrzemski has been a bright spot in a lineup that’s really struggled since the deadline.

Could the Braves have done more to alleviate those concerns? Absolutely. But that doesn’t make this trade a bad one.

Brent Suter — Grade: B+

Again, this is a deal where the Braves essentially gave up nothing. Nacho Alvarez Jr. was never going to carve out a meaningful role in Atlanta, and in return they picked up a decent innings-eating reliever who’s posted a 1.50 ERA over his first 12.0 innings. I’m not sure what kind of role — if any — Suter plays come October, but he’s doing a nice job with what’s been asked of him so far.

Overall Grade: C

The day after the deadline, I gave Alex Anthopoulos a failing grade for his work. It’s still evident he could have done way more. The Braves should have bolstered their bullpen with another high-leverage reliever. They could have added more versatility to the lineup. And they certainly could have done more to help the rotation.

However, credit also has to be given for the moves Anthopoulos did make. They’re undoubtedly all net positives, with Tyler Mahle standing out so far as perhaps the acquisition of the entire deadline. We’ll see if that continues over a longer sample size. If it does, this grade could look a lot better come season’s end.