{"id":2378,"date":"2024-10-30T03:02:28","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T03:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=2378"},"modified":"2024-10-30T03:02:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T03:02:28","slug":"time-for-a-change-in-atlanta-anticipating-another-big-braves-offseason-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=2378","title":{"rendered":"Time For A Change In Atlanta? Anticipating Another Big Braves Offseason Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"<article id=\"post-102415\">\n<div>\n<p>After three consecutive early postseason exits, Alex Anthopoulos could finally consider a significant change to the Braves. However, it\u2019s likely that he will weigh the impact of injuries and enter the 2025 season with the same core group that has secured nearly 300 regular-season wins over the past three years.<\/p>\n<p>While maintaining continuity feels like the correct course of action, the Braves have made blockbuster trades in each of the last three offseasons to enhance their roster. Anthopoulos traded for Matt Olson to fill Freddie Freeman\u2019s shoes, followed by Sean Murphy the next year and Chris Sale last winter. He\u2019s shown a willingness to trade prospects for proven talent, and the Braves\u2019 most valuable trade chip has never been more clear.<\/p>\n<p>In today\u2019s game, catchers who can hit are like unicorns. The Braves have excelled at developing these players in their farm system, but currently, none of them are on the current roster. Shea Langeliers is now with the Oakland Athletics, a result of the Olson trade, and William Contreras is playing for the Milwaukee Brewers after the three-team deal that brought Sean Murphy to Atlanta.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back, it\u2019s uncertain whether Anthopoulos would make those same trades again, which serves as a cautionary tale for this offseason. Nevertheless, the Braves need to explore the trade market for their top prospect, Drake Baldwin, and see what he could command after a breakout 2023 season.<\/p>\n<p>After being promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett midseason, Baldwin posted an impressive .292 batting average with 12 home runs and an .891 OPS over his last 72 games. He possesses all the tools to be an elite offensive catcher at the next level\u2014he rarely strikes out, shows excellent plate discipline, and has power to all fields. Moreover, his defensive skills have been on full display early this offseason in the Arizona Fall League.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-dnt=\"true\" data-width=\"550\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Writing up Drake Baldwin this morning and while it is usually the offense that makes the highlights, Baldwin gunning down two runners with pop times in the 1.9 range steals the show. He\u2019s ready to be in Atlanta in 2025. https:\/\/t.co\/FxjOEimfgG<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) October 28, 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Drake Baldwin\u2019s tool chest has him soaring up MLB prospect rankings, and it won\u2019t be long before he\u2019s recognized as one of the top prospects in all of baseball. However, despite his development, there\u2019s no clear path for him to play in Atlanta.<\/p>\n<p>The Braves are expected to pick up Travis d\u2019Arnaud\u2018s option for 2025, but the more significant hurdle is Sean Murphy. Anthopoulos made a substantial investment in Murphy two years ago, and he\u2019s under contract through 2028, with a team option for 2029.<\/p>\n<p>While the Braves could explore trade options for Murphy to assess his market value, doing so after a lackluster 2024 season would mean selling at a low point. Murphy\u2019s performance last year doesn\u2019t reflect his true capabilities, and the hope is that new hitting coach Tim Hyers can help restore the catcher\u2019s confidence.<\/p>\n<p>Baldwin was a superstar on the farm in 2024, but Murphy remains the more established player. It\u2019s important to remember that the success of prospects is almost impossible to predict, which is why they\u2019re often best utilized as trade chips\u2014especially for teams with World Series aspirations. Selling high on Baldwin after a standout season in the minors makes far more sense than selling low on Murphy, who has proven himself to be an All-Star-caliber catcher at the major league level in the past.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Photo: David J. Griffin\/Icon Sportswire<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After three consecutive early postseason exits, Alex Anthopoulos could finally consider a significant change to the Braves. However, it\u2019s likely that he<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2379,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Time For A Change In Atlanta? Anticipating Another Big Braves Offseason Trade - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=2378\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Time For A Change In Atlanta? 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