Jim Bowden on Braves trade deadline plans

The consensus among MLB insiders is that the Braves will wait until the offseason to make sweeping changes to their roster, which does make some sense.

The Braves‘ most valuable potential trade chip right now is undoubtedly Sean Murphy. He’s a top five catcher in the game that’s red hot and under team control through 2029. It’s no surprise teams have been calling about his availability, but it doesn’t look like those conversations are getting anywhere.

The Braves prefer to have two starting caliber catchers on the roster to keep both of them fresh through the dog days of summer in Atlanta. Additionally, Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy have both been good enough offensively that there is a case they can co-exist by splitting time between catcher and DH.

The Braves have recently started to experiment with this formula, and the early results have been fruitful. They probably would like to experiment with it a little bit more before rushing into a blockbuster trade that could set the organization even further back from their ultimate goal.

As far as the others, the Braves likely won’t even consider moving Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Ronald Acuña Jr. anytime soon, and they shouldn’t. Which leaves Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies, two guys who don’t really have any value after their performances in the first half. However, in a bit of a different tune compared to other MLB insiders, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden did say the Braves will at least listen when it comes to Albies.

“They are not looking to move on from second baseman Ozzie Albies, but they’ll listen to inquiries, and a team like the Astros, who are looking for a left-handed-hitting second baseman, would be a strong trade fit. Michael Harris II has had such a dismal year that his trade value has evaporated,” Bowden writes. “Atlanta will spend the rest of the 2025 season trying to get him back on track, and if he doesn’t, he would be an offseason trade candidate.”

Albies is coming off a very good series to begin the second half, mashing two homers with nine RBIs against the New York Yankees. There will be interested parties because of his track record as a three-time All-Star; however, are the Braves ready to give up on him and move on?

Albies is still under control for two more seasons, with $7 million options for 2026 and 2027. That’s chump change, so unless a team is willing to overpay or the Braves firmly believe his best days are well in the rearview mirror, I don’t see why they wouldn’t see this through in hopes his start of the second half is a sign of a turnaround.