Will Braves reconsider trading players under contract past 2025?

The Atlanta Braves are one of the worst teams in baseball.

The offense continues to plummet toward the bottom of the league. They have more starting pitchers on the IL than healthy, and while the bullpen has stabilized somewhat over the last month, it’s nowhere near good enough to compensate for the glaring issues across a deeply flawed roster.

There’s no way Alex Anthopoulos can justify buying anymore, despite what he said three weeks ago when asked about whether he would consider selling.

“We’re not selling,” the Braves GM said. “A month from now, we are 30 games under or something crazy, I guess I would reconsider. I’ve been in the postseason personally — talking about myself, totally selfishly — ten seasons in a row. I don’t remember what it feels like to not be contending.”

Even further, Anthopoulos said in no scenario would the Braves consider selling any players under contract past the 2025 season.

“No. Zero,” he said of the Braves potentially trading Chris Sale. “We are not selling, especially players with club control beyond the current year. Will not happen. I never make definitive statements unless I’m going to stick to them. So, once you make definitive statements, and then you go back on them, you’re a liar and you’re done. So, WILL NOT HAPPEN!”

However, since those comments, things have only gotten exponentially worse. The team just wrapped up a 2-7 home stand, which was capped off by four straight losses to the lowly Angels and Orioles. They are now nine games back in the NL Wild Card race with eight teams in front of them. But even more than that, Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach — the club’s two best pitchers — are now on the 60-day IL.

The chances of the Braves digging out of this hole are close to zero. Anthopoulos has to be thinking about the future, which means selling. That’s the obvious answer, what isn’t so obvious is what the Braves can actually sell.

If Anthopoulos refuses to move off any players under team control for multiple seasons, the Braves won’t be able to get much of anything in return at the trade deadline.

At one point, Marcell Ozuna may have been an attractive trade chip. But he’s a designated hitter on an expiring deal who can no longer hit, presumably due to a torn hip that’s nagged him since April. He’s not bringing anything back.

A few bullpen arms might draw some interest. Raisel Iglesias, despite his early-season struggles, could appeal to a contender looking for late-inning experience. Pierce Johnson and Aaron Bummer could generate mild buzz. But none of these players are likely to net more than a fringe prospect or cash considerations.

About the only way the Braves could get anything of value at this year’s trade deadline is if Alex Anthopoulos changes his tune on players under contract past this season. Even on the IL, Chris Sale could still get a haul, and Sean Murphy is another candidate that could fetch a pretty decent return, especially with the way he’s been swinging the bat of late.

But let’s be real: the options are limited.

The Braves aren’t trading Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Spencer Strider, Drake Baldwin, or Spencer Schwellenbach. And players like Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II — both of whom have regressed significantly — likely hold little to no value on the trade market right now.

This trade deadline won’t offer a lifeline. It won’t bring clarity. It won’t jumpstart a new competitive window.  And that’s perhaps the biggest indictment of where this franchise currently stands.