Atlanta Braves: Could Julio Teheran be on the trade block?
By Jason Evans
With the starting pitching depth the Atlanta Braves have, they may look to deal Julio Teheran.
The Atlanta Braves took the next step last year by winning the National League East and making the postseason. Ronald Acuna Jr emerged as one of the best young players in the game today. Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb continued their development and some of the young pitching prospects they have started to come up to the roster.
One player who may have taken a step back is Julio Teheran. He has not enjoyed the move to Sun Trust Park as he is 7-13 with a 4.89 ERA. He wasn’t a part of the rotation in LDS. With some of the prospects they have coming, they could look to move on from their former ace.
"After making each of the Braves’ past five Opening Day starts, Teheran finds himself in limbo. If he isn’t packaged in a trade this offseason, he would likely come to Spring Training next year needing to battle for a rotation spot. In other words, the $11 million he’ll receive during the final year of his contract next season no longer seems like a bargain."
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A team looking for starting pitching may view him as a buy low candidate. He makes $11 million this year with a $12 million option for 2020 or a $1 million buyout.
After a rough July, Teheran went 1-0 over five August starts with a 3.16 ERA and had a 2.76 ERA in five September starts.
Teheran is a two time All-Star and a team that doesn’t want to necessarily dip into the free agent market and pay those prices decide to go a bit cheaper. The Atlanta Braves could use some bullpen help and some offense, so they could potentially use Teheran in a package to help those needs.
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As the GM meetings begin tomorrow, look for a ton of rumors to start swirling. What the Atlanta Braves decide to do with Teheran could a part of how they restructure their team for 2019. Keep an eye on this moving forward.