Trade Deadline Preview: Atlanta Braves

Jun 11, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder B.J. Upton (2) singles in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Needs to be addressed:

1. The bench.

While Atlanta has been receiving solid production from nearly their whole starting lineup, the bench has offered little to date. Ryan Doumit is hitting just .218/.250/.345. Jordan Schafer is batting .185/.243/.246. Ramiro Pena is at .196/.260/.326. Uggla, who’s no longer starting games due to his bat, has a .164/.239/.234 line. There isn’t a bat off the bench that the team can truly count on at the moment. Teams don’t win the World Series without a good bench.

2. Starting pitching depth

If the Braves lose another starter to injury, who steps into the rotation? That’s a question without an obvious answer at this point. David Hale would presumably be an option, as he’s pitched better as a starter than a reliever. Beyond that the team’s Triple-A affiliate is loaded with guys who have some experience in the major leagues but have seen little success (Yunesky Maya, Zach Stewart).

3. Can B.J. Upton be fixed?

Upton is coming off the worst season of his MLB career and has been only marginally better than he was a season ago. He’s hit just .195/.272/.312 since joining the Braves on a sizeable contract that still has three more years left on it after the 2014 season.