The Atlanta Braves need to do something, anything really. While predicting what general manager Alex Anthopoulos is going to do is a lost cause, trying to figure out ways to make this contending team better is not the worst waste of your time. In the wake of the hated New York Mets bringing former Washington Nationals star Juan Soto back into the division, Atlanta needs to keep pace.

Once again, asking for Anthopoulos to do what you want is like herding cats. Good luck with that. However, there is one soon-to-be free-agent target out there I would absolutely love to see star in the Atlanta outfield, possibly for more than one season. That would be Houston Astros all-star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who hits free agency in 2026. Anthopoulos does like to extend players he trades for…

Here is a rough idea of what it may take for the Braves to deal for a star player the caliber of Tucker.

Atlanta would need to package at least two of its top prospects in a deal with Jarred Kelenic to potentially land Tucker. Kelenic is a mega-talent, but is streaky as hell and as inconsistent as they come as an outfielder. Since Atlanta does not want to trade Hurston Waldrep, give the Astros AJ Smith-Shawver instead. To really sweeten the deal, Drake Baldwin makes it a trio going to Houston.

Atlanta’s starting outfield would be Tucker, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. when he returns.

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Every MLB team seems to have a few teams that are regular trade partners of theirs. While anyone can trade with anybody at any given time, it is not as punitive to strike a deal with a team in the opposite league. Houston and the Los Angeles Angels are among the teams the Braves have made deals with the most of late. This is probably due to their front offices sharing similar backgrounds.

For Atlanta, the Braves add the all-star-caliber player it needs to attempt to have a positive offseason. The idea of Anthopoulos extending Tucker immediately upon arrival is quite good. He has done this after making deals for former Oakland stars Matt Olson and Sean Murphy. Besides his power bat, I love his range in the outfield. This is something manager Brian Snitker would love to have defensively.

Overall, it takes two to tango. Houston was still a playoff team last year, but got off to an absolutely brutal start. The managerial change in the wake of Dusty Baker’s retirement was not a smooth one. Then again, the Astros have been one of the best run franchises in all of baseball for the better part of a decade now. Atlanta beat them in the World Series, but they have a ring more recently than them.

Tucker to Atlanta would certainly make Braves Country super excited, but he has to get extended.