The Atlanta Braves have been reported to be interested in acquiring one of two San Diego Padres starting pitchers: Dylan Cease or Michael King.

With the interest known, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D Rymer listed the Braves as the third-best landing spot for specifically King. Along with ranking each team, he gave a trade proposal.

First, we’ll look at the proposal and dive into what the Braves would gain and what they’d part with.

Rymer’s Trade Proposal: 

Atlanta Braves Acquire: RHP Michael King, LHP Wandy Peralta, cash

San Diego Padres Acquire: left fielder Jarred Kelenic, RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (Braves No. 3 prospect on B/R)

This specific proposal kills two birds with one stone. The Braves get themselves a proven starting pitcher and also get themselves another left-handed reliever for the bullpen.

For the Braves to opt not to put Grant Holmes or Ian Anderson into the rotation to start 2025, they would have to make a serious upgrade. King certainly fits that bill. He obviously wouldn’t replace Anderson, but he would take over Holmes’ spot.

When Spencer Strider returns in this scenario, either he bumps Anderson to the bullpen – since they also have Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach – or the Braves opt for a six-man rotation. The latter option wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for preserving the health of Sale and Lopez.

With AJ Minter signing with the New York Mets, Peralta would at least fill the gap as a lefty in the bullpen. He’s struggled to be consistent at times but has an overall ERA of 3.17 going back to 2020. In 2024, his first and so season so far in San Diego, Peralta had a 3.99 ERA.

The only downside is King is a one-year rental unless he signs an extension. That could be all the time the Braves need for another young arm, like Waldrep to be ready to join the rotation. In the meantime, Peralta is year-to-year on player options through 2027.

What the Braves Part With

So, they’d be forfeiting an outfield depth piece in Jarred Kelenic. His short time with the Braves has been contentious. The once-promising prospect struggled with consistency in 2024 and eventually was relegated to the bench.

While he still has breakout potential, he’s looking more like a platoon and bench piece long-term, especially after the Braves signed Jurickson Profar.

“With Profar aboard and Ronald Acuña Jr. on the comeback trail, it won’t be long before Kelenic is out of a job,” Rymer wrote.

The Braves would be able to offload some salary ($2.3 million) in the process of taking on King’s to-be-determined salary. He filed for a 2025 salary of $8.8 million, with Padres countering at $7.3 million. Peralta would make $4.25 million. Regardless of which one it ends up being, the Braves would have fewer luxury tax worries if they move a couple million dollars in the process.

Should they need extra depth in the outfield, they could always opt for Eli White or Garrett Cooper.

Along with Kelenic is prospect pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver. He’s the easier name to put in a trade proposal. Hurston Waldrep and Cam Caminiti are both considered off the table, so Smith-Shawver could be the odd man out should the Padres require a top prospect.

Fans have gotten familiar with Smith-Shawver over the last couple seasons. He’s made seven regular-season appearances in the Majors and a couple postseason appearances.

They’d be giving a young arm who still has a lot of upside at age 22. But if there’s any position that the Braves can afford to give up, it’s right-handed pitching. They made up more than half of the team’s top 30 prospects in 2024. It’s justifiable.