Just like last year, it is going to be a wild next few days for Braves Country. With the injuries to Ozzie Albies and Adam Duvall, Atlanta has holes to fill, and they have an aggressive general manager who knows how to address them. Hopefully, Anthopoulos still has some of that magic left over from last year, as the Braves aim to add multiple pieces again at this year’s trade deadline.
Atlanta’s biggest need by far is in the outfield. Duvall is out for the season, while Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario have not been productive pieces in 2022. They have to address the area if they want to repeat as champions, and according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, that is what they are focused on leading up to the trade deadline.
Rival execs report that the Braves are looking for a right-handed hitter to effectively replace Adam Duvall on their roster. Some of the possible options: Ian Happ (a switch-hitter who is hitting .346 vs. lefties), Ramon Laureano, hitting .262 vs. lefties and Rob Refsnyder, who is mashing .422 against lefties in 50 plate appearances this year. — Buster Olney
I love the idea of adding Ian Happ. He’s an All-Star with another year of control that can play second base and in the outfield. Unfortunately, he will be one of the most coveted players at the trade deadline, and it will be difficult for the Braves to win a bidding war because of their weak farm system.
Laureano is a more likely target. He’s had pretty good success in the bigs, but most importantly, he shouldn’t cost much in terms of prospects and crushes left-handed pitching.
Rob Refsnyder is certainly not a name I was thinking of, but it does make a bit of sense. He has an .894 OPS in 33 games for the Red Sox this season, and as Olney points out, he’s hitting a silly .422 against lefties this year. That’s what the Braves should be targeting, and most importantly, Refsnyder shouldn’t cost much prospect capital.
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