The MLB trade deadline is in two weeks, and there are a number of teams whose status as buyers or sellers is still in limbo as the second half of the season begins.
One such team is the Atlanta Braves. The Braves opened the second half with a 5-3 win over the slumping Mets last night, and they enter today six games back of the Phillies in the NL East and 5.5 back of the Giants in the NL wild-card standings.
Pitching has far and away been their strength thus far, with the Braves boasting one of the top team ERAs in the majors, and their staff stands to get even stronger with the return of Tim Hudson, which should happen sometime in the next month.
However, by the time Hudson returns, will the Braves still be in the hunt in the NL East wild-card races? And by the time Hudson returns, will the Braves have added to or subtracted from their roster before the trade deadline?
The Braves start the second half with back-to-back four-game series at home against the Mets and the Giants, and where they are after that stretch could determine what position the Braves take, if they elect to take a position at all, that is.
The Braves could be viewed as much more of a threat in the second half if they add another bat to the lineup, and a deal that has been mentioned involves Oakland A’s duo Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera coming to Atlanta with Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar going the other way.
You can find many an argument against this trade, and I hold the same opinion. Whether it’s the fact that Escobar’s been one of their top producers, Holliday’s struggles this season, or the high, high likelihood that neither acquisition would be on the Braves’ roster in 2010 (and if they were, it‘d come at a cost that outweighs the benefit), there’s a number of reasons for Braves GM Frank Wren not to pull the trigger on such a deal.
Besides, not a lot of good came from the last time they moved for an elite bat in an attempt to bolster their chances as a contender. In 2007, the Braves traded for Mark Teixeira, and in doing so, gave up some top prospects to do so. The end result of the season? An 84-78 record and a third-place finish in the NL East.
A year later, the Braves traded away Teixeira to the Angels, and even though Casey Kotchman can still turn out to be a key player in Atlanta, one has to wonder if trading for Teixeira was worth what they gave up.
With the Braves trading away more top prospects to get Javier Vazquez in the offseason and a few more to land Nate McLouth in June, it’s highly, highly unlikely that Wren would sacrifice more key pieces of the club’s present or future just to make a run that falls short. There’s a stopping point for the farm system fleecing, and you’d think that the Braves have reached it.
All the same, I don’t see the Braves doing anything to help someone else‘s bid to contend if it‘s not going to carry a major benefit for them, and by major, I mean immediate impact players or a batch of young prospects that will be able to contribute in the near future.
When it comes to the Braves as a seller, the primary name mentioned has been pitcher Vazquez. Vazquez is just the quality arm that a contender could be looking for, but it’d be all sorts of counterproductive for the Braves to part with him when he‘s been a big part of their success this season and will be key to their push for success next season.
If the Braves, or they were well behind in the NL East and already looking towards next year, then their position might be a lot more defined.
But as it stands, the Braves’ best bet is to keep the pieces that they have, and whether the season ends with or without the postseason, look to strengthen the lineup in the offseason, and go into 2010 with an excellent chance at finally reclaiming a once-familiar place atop the NL East.
