The Atlanta Braves completely botched the trade deadline

In what will go down as one of the most exciting trade deadlines in recent memory, the Atlanta Braves — who own the fourth-worst record in all of baseball — essentially stood pat.

The Braves actually made more additions than they did subtractions. Erick Fedde and Carlos Carrasco were brought in to eat innings, both necessary moves due to the injuries to the rotation. Atlanta also added Tyler Kinley, an intriguing bullpen arm that could find success now that he’s out of Colorado.

The only subtraction they made was Rafael Montero, who was traded to the Tigers for infield prospect Jim Jarvis. That’s it. The fourth worst record in baseball, and all Alex Anthopoulos could do to better the team for the future was trade his worst reliever for a prospect that likely will never start a major-league game.

There’s a chance Marcell Ozuna was immovable, as I discussed several times leading up to the trade deadline. He had 10-and-5 rights, giving him the ability to veto any trade. But frankly, it’s likely nobody was interested in a hobbled DH that is hitting below the Mendoza Line over the last two months with an OPS south of .600.

However, Raisel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee? I have a very hard time believing the Braves didn’t get calls on all of those guys.

Even amid a difficult year, Raisel Iglesias has a track record of success. He owns a 2.99 ERA over his 11-year career and had a 1.95 ERA as recently as last season. On top of that, Iglesias has been much better of late, boasting a 2.41 ERA and 2.33 FIP over his last 20 appearances. There is just no possible way there weren’t competing teams calling about his services.

Pierce Johnson is under team control for next season, and Dylan Lee is under team control for several more seasons. Still, with the way teams were overpaying for relievers, especially ones with multiple years of control, the Braves should have been open for business.

This was the epitome of a sellers market. The Padres traded the third ranked prospect in all of baseball — shortstop Leo De Vries — along with three other top pitching prospects for a reliever. Now, Mason Miller is electric, but he’s still just a closer. Imagine what Sean Murphy could have fetched? And the Padres were reportedly interested in his services.

The entire thought process behind all of this is laughable. Acting as if this roster is anywhere close to World Series caliber is delusional. Even before all of the injuries, the Braves were a below .500 baseball team. Pretty much everywhere you look on the diamond, there are glaring concerns, and it doesn’t stop with the major-league roster.

The Braves have one of the worst farm systems in all of baseball, especially when it comes to position prospects. Outside of maybe Nacho Alvarez, there’s not a single one even close to major-league ready.

This was a golden opportunity for the Braves to get better for the future, and instead of aggressively attacking their plethora of issues, Alex Anthopoulos continues to act like there are none. Until there’s an understanding at the top that this club is nowhere close to where it needs to be, the days of competing are over.