Jeff Passan discusses Braves sellable assets ahead of trade deadline

Buyers or Sellers: For the first time in a while, there might not be an easy answer for the Braves ahead of the trade deadline.

Sitting at 27-31 through 58 games, Atlanta has the fourth-worst record in the National League, ahead of only the Pirates, Marlins, and Rockies. That’s not a list of teams you want to be associated with, especially when the Braves came into the season with legitimate championship aspirations.

What Alex Anthopoulos does will be largely determined by the team’s play over the next 6-7 weeks, but he is known as one of the more aggressive GMs, especially when it comes to making trades. He’s not going to give up on the season unless the Braves have absolutely no chance of reaching the playoffs, but ESPN’s Jeff Passan points out that Atlanta has some pieces they could move if they do end up in the sellers category.

“There’s a chance Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta’s aggressive president of baseball operations, sees this season not as an anomaly but as a continuation of last year and entertains moving one of the Braves’ core players,” Passan writes. “Absent that, in Ozuna, an impending free agent, the Braves have perhaps the best bat that could be available. And in Raisel Iglesias, they have a closer with a 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. (With seven home runs allowed in 22⅓ innings, yes.) Beyond them, everyone of value with Atlanta is under club control next year, leaving the Braves as one of the likelier candidates to stay where they are and hope they get hot at an opportune time like they did in 2021.”

Marcell Ozuna is undoubtedly the Braves’ most likely trade candidate if the club falls out of the race. He’s in the final year of his contract and has been one of the best offensive players over the last several seasons. Every team with an opening at DH would be interested; however, the recent revelation surrounding Ozuna’s hip injury could complicate things. The Big Bear is playing through a tear in his hip that will have to be addressed in the offseason. That could scare some inquiring teams away, but as long as he has a .900 OPS, the Braves will have no problem moving him at the trade deadline.

Raisel Iglesias and a couple of other Braves relief arms could come up in negotiations as well, but where things get interesting is the big names that are under team control. Could Alex Anthopoulos view the trade deadline as an opportunity for a major shakeup? Even if the Braves are in the race, it’s not inconceivable that he would move a star player in an effort to improve the roster, given how the current core group of players has underachieved since the start of last season.

However, the most intriguing name to watch ahead of the trade deadline, if the Braves fall out of the race, is Chris Sale. The reigning NL Cy Young award winner has rounded into form and looks like he’ll be in the running for the award again. He’s among the best pitchers in baseball, and while he does have a club option for next season at a team-friendly rate, Alex Anthopoulos would at least have to consider calls from competing teams, given Sale would fetch a king’s ransom in return.

There’s a lot for the Braves to consider over the next two months. Hopefully, it’s from a buyer’s perspective, but regardless, they’ll have the opportunity to shake things up considerably ahead of the trade deadline.