Sometimes, the best move to make during the trade deadline is the move that a team didn’t make.
We’re not sure the Atlanta Braves will feel that way regarding pitcher Dylan Lee — and we get the feeling that their fans certainly won’t agree with such a take.
Lee allowed a home run for the fourth time over his past seven innings in Thursday’s 12-11 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The 31-year-old gave up 10 runs in 10 2/3 July innings, watching his ERA skyrocket from 1.67 to 3.17 across a 13-game span.
Those are a lot of numbers, but the point remains: if the Braves could have traded Lee before Thursday’s deadline, then they should have made the move by any means necessary.
The Atlanta Braves should have traded Dylan Lee before the deadline
The Braves didn’t completely overhaul their roster the way that some may have expected, with Chris Sale and Marcell Ozuna both remaining in Atlanta. Raisel Iglesias is still the Braves’ closer, and there were no surprise trades amid a frustrating 46-62 season.
“I can’t force a trade,” Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told reporters on Thursday. “So I understand that people may think we should trade so and so and we should get this guy back, or that guy back.”
Added Anthopoulos: “[If] we thought there was a trade where we were getting some value back that we liked, we would have made a trade or two or three or four.”
Anthopoulos deserves credit for not making a trade for the sake of making a trade. The Braves entered the year with championship expectations and fell apart because of injuries, bad luck, and inconsistent performances from veterans. They’re not beginning or midway through a rebuild, nor did they feel they needed to completely restructure the organization the way that the Twins did.
However, it’s hard to imagine that Lee had no market or didn’t attract enough interest that Anthopoulos would have felt comfortable trading him. Lee is a proven lefty who has a 2.58 ERA over 108 innings the last two years and is under team control through 2029. Playoff hopefuls always want a reliever like that, and they’re often willing to pony up for such an upgrade.
If the Braves didn’t trade Lee this summer, then it’s admittedly hard to imagine they’ll part ways with him over the offseason. Apparently, Lee is part of the Braves’ 2026 plans, and Anthopoulos’ stubbornness will pay off if Atlanta returns to form next year.
If not? That’s a problem that Anthopoulos will need to deal with next summer — and for his sake, he better hope it’s not too late to get value for his veterans.
