There wouldn’t be many Atlanta Braves fans who would say that this year has gone as planned. From top to bottom, the Braves simply haven’t been that good.
They sit at 38-45 and are now 4-6 over their past 10 games. However, if things start to break the Braves’ way, it’s possible they could be in a position to make the postseason.
As of June 30, the Braves are only eight games out in the National League Wild Card, and while that sounds like a ton, it isn’t exactly like there are some juggernauts ahead of them.
But it remains uncertain what the Braves plan to do at the deadline. Despite the uncertainty, CBS Sports recently proposed a trade idea to acquire Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, naming them one of three landing spots for the right-hander’s services.
“If the Diamondbacks decide to sell, Kelly will be an appealing candidate for teams seeking rotation help. He’s never received proper credit (or so much as a single All-Star designation) despite posting a better ERA+ since 2022 than the likes of Hunter Greene, Spencer Strider, Dylan Cease, Tyler Glasnow, and … well, countless others with better branding. Even nearing his 37th birthday, Kelly remains an above-average starter who leverages a deep arsenal (six of his pitches have usage rates over 7%) to atone for his substandard velocity. Potential landing spots: Mariners, Braves, Twins,” they wrote.
Will the Diamondbacks Be Sellers?
When considering whether the Arizona Diamondbacks will move on from Kelly, ESPN recently gave him a 30% chance to be traded last week.
Plenty has happened since, as injuries have derailed the Diamondbacks, so the Atlanta Braves and other teams may have a better chance to trade for him.
“Kelly doesn’t have big raw stuff, posting the second-lowest average fastball velocity among pitchers with 90 innings pitched this season. His changeup is his best pitch by a wide margin, and he gets by with location and off-speed stuff. He was a stalwart in the Diamondbacks’ run to the 2023 World Series, striking out 28 in 24 innings with a 2.25 ERA,” ESPN wrote.
Will the Braves Buy or Sell at the Deadline?
It isn’t a guarantee that the Atlanta Braves will buy or sell. However, when examining what the Braves might do at the deadline, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com recently put together a great article.
He questioned who the Braves are chasing in the National League, adding that outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs, there aren’t exactly many teams ahead of them who are better. He later added that it wouldn’t be surprising if the Braves had a great second half and found themselves in a wild-card spot.
“After those four teams, are there any others in the NL that you would say are near-locks to play into October? The Brewers, Cardinals and Reds are having nice seasons, but it remains to be seen whether any of them make big moves to bolster their rosters,” he wrote. “Ditto for the Padres, Giants and Diamondbacks, who may wind up fighting for a Wild Card berth with the Dodgers primed to win another NL West crown.
“Would it surprise anybody if the Braves had a strong second half and jumped over most of those teams to secure a Wild Card spot?”
They might have to make another move or two to do that, but if they add someone like Kelly, who has thrown the baseball at a very high level with his 3.49 ERA, that’ll make things much more likely.
