We are approaching the end of May and that means soon we will be awash with various trade rumors and proposals. The Atlanta Braves certainly will have some work they need to do before the trade deadline as they are struggling to maintain any semblance of momentum right now, but exactly how they will go about doing so is easier said than done.
The Braves could use bullpen help, shortstop was a question even before Orlando Arcia’s departure, and there is always going to be a need for a spare rotation arm and bench help. Fortunately, Atlanta does have some assets on their major league roster that could help get them what they need at the trade deadline.
Here are the Braves players that have already made it clear that they should be on the table in trades
Now, this isn’t a list of all the players the Braves have to trade or are even going to trade. However, with the state of the Braves roster and how these players specifically are playing, these three Braves feel very expendable and could be appealing to teams that may have some spare parts that could be what the Braves are looking for.
Alex Verdugo
Verdugo has been a fun story to be sure. He came up and immediately lit a fire under the offense and he has had some big moments in the early portion of the season. However, there is a very real chance that his playing time is about to be curtailed anyways very soon and it would behoove the Braves to take advantage of the value they have already accrued in Verdugo.
While having the left-handed bat is nice against tough righties, Verdugo has been anything but a sure thing so far in 2025. For some stretches, he has competitive at-bats and is a real asset in the lineup. For others, he has done almost nothing. With Jurickson Profar set to return (probably) in less than 30 games, Atlanta should trade Verdugo at some point in the next couple of months to an offensively-starved team as he is only under contract for a year anyways.
Raisel Iglesias
This one stinks because Iglesias was so good for the Braves for such a long time. Basically from the moment the Braves traded for him through the end of last season, Iglesias has been one of the best and most reliable closers in baseball. Unfortunately, the last year of his contract has not gone well and it may be time for the Braves to cut their losses.
While there was a good chance Atlanta would try and bring Iglesias back, that possibility has taken a major hit after Iglesias cratered to a 5.75 ERA thanks in large part to his slider regressing and him all of a sudden being unable to keep the ball in the yard. Perhaps a change of scenery is what everyone needs in this situation and there are going to be teams at the trade deadline that will think they can fix Iglesias and would happily take his expensive, but expiring contract onto their books.
Bryce Elder
Okay, we can all agree that Bryce Elder was a lot better than almost anyone thought he would be when he came back up to the majors this year. While Elder was often playing with fire, he still managed to give the Braves a very reasonable, if unexciting, 4.50 ERA across eight starts including seven starts of at least five innings. He may never see an All-Star Game again, but he did eat innings and that had a lot of value for Atlanta who was just trying to survive early in the season.
Assuming Elder can look reasonable down at Triple-A, the Braves should at least listen to offers on Elder. With Atlanta’s rotation looking to be in reasonably good shape assuming Spencer Strider stays healthy, moving Elder who isn’t even arbitration-eligible yet could yield a better return than many fans think.
