The trade deadline is just 24 hours away, and there’s no reason Alex Anthopoulos should not be aggressively looking to add. After a five-game series win over the Mets, the Braves are just four games back in the division with 60 games left to play, and there are several reasons to feel confident Atlanta can make up the ground before the season ends. Their rotation has been brilliant, Austin Riley has become a star, Huascar Ynoa, Ian Anderson, and Travis d’Arnaud are set to return in August, and frankly, the Mets have been playing pretty poor baseball for quite some time now. The Braves should smell blood in the water, and Atlanta’s overall play since the All-Star break should give Anthopoulos even more confidence that this team can compete with anyone.
The Braves might not have made up any ground, but they’ve gone toe-to-toe with some of MLB’s best. They are currently 7-7 in the second half of the season, but that’s against the Rays, Padres, Phillies, and Mets. And don’t forget; they’ve done all of this without Huascar Ynoa, Ian Anderson, and Travis d’Arnaud. With those three set to return, Atlanta has the makings of a really good baseball team; they just need to fill in the gaps.
Those gaps being the outfield and bullpen. The Braves may not decide to make a blockbuster acquisition, but at the very least, they can add someone like Adam Duvall, who can give them more offensive consistency. They can also deal for several bullpen pieces for prospects most fans probably haven’t even heard of. There are several different ways the Braves can go about this, but they all point to adding over the next 24 hours. If they don’t bring in a few more pieces before tomorrow at 4 PM ET, you have every right to question Anthopoulos’ decision-making.
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