Atlanta Braves: Four starters to target before the Trade Deadline
Here are four impact starters the Atlanta Braves should trade for ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.
The Atlanta Braves were arguably the favorite to win the National League East going into the 60-game 2020 season and while some might still think they will win the division, their path got harder to do so after key injuries to a few starting pitchers.
The headliner is their ace Mike Soroka, who tore his Achilles tendon on August 3 while trying to get off the mound to cover first base on a ground ball to Freddie Freeman. He is out for the remainder of the season, which is a huge deal because he nearly won the Cy Young last season and was off to a pretty good start this season.
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Every fifth-day manager Brian Snitker knew he was going to get a quality start out of his ace but now that ace is Max Fried.
Of course, we can’t forget about the pitching depth Atlanta has also lost as well. Felix Hernandez was a candidate to be the fifth starter at the beginning of the season but he decided to opt-out due to coronavirus safety concerns and Cole Hamels, who was signed to a one-year $18 million deal, is out until at least September with a triceps injury.
Mike Foltynewicz got DFA’d earlier this season after he couldn’t find any rhythm on the mound and if it tells you anything about how bad he was, no other team wanted him even though he was an All-Star a couple of years ago.
All of a sudden GM Alex Anthopoulos is looking to replace his ace and a couple of other veteran arms in what’s already a young rotation.
If you can’t tell, the Braves need more starting pitching if they want to get to the promised land so here are four options that the front office should go after to bolster their rotation ahead of the August 31 MLB Trade Deadline.
At the MLB trade deadline, the Atlanta Braves should bite on Johnny Cueto.
Johnny Cueto is someone that would be perfect for the Atlanta Braves if they are willing to take on his contract (with a little help from the Giants).
When it comes to the pitching side of things, Cueto has come back relatively strong from Tommy John surgery a couple of years ago.
In an era that has seen the ball jumping off bats, Cueto has only surrendered six home runs since his surgery and has recorded 40 strikeouts in ten starts.
His numbers this season don’t fairly portray the impact he could have on the mound this season for a contender because in nearly every start he could have gone six innings but his manager, Gabe Kapler, tends to over-manage and so he tries to use bullpen matchups too early in the game.
Cueto has tons of postseason experience, which is something that was lacking in the young rotation last October and arguably was one of the reasons why they were eliminated in the first round.
He has appeared in the postseason as the ace of the Cincinnati Reds (2010, 2012-2013), the Kansas City Royals (2015), and the San Francisco Giants (2016).
As you might remember Cueto was a big contributor to the 2015 Royals World Series championship team and he seems to be one of those guys that can flip the switch once October comes around.
If he comes to Atlanta, it immediately gives them a reliable veteran starter that has the ability to pitch in those must-win games–something they didn’t really have in last year’s rotation besides Mike Soroka.
This rejuvenated ace might be the best option for the Atlanta Braves.
Dylan Bundy should get a lot of calls around the league-leading up to the MLB Trade Deadline on the last day of August and Atlanta will likely be included.
Most people might remember him as the guy that gave up the most home runs in MLB in 2018 (41), but he has been one of the best starters in all of baseball ever since he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels before this season.
Halos pitching coach Mickey Callaway has really found something in the 27-year-old and has literally turned his career around.
I know that we haven’t played too many games but Bundy’s lowest ERA before this year was 4.02 in his rookie season but this year through five starts he has a 2.48 ERA with 38 strikeouts and a 10.5 K/9.
He has logged only one start this year that went less than six innings and on August 6 he pitched a complete game.
But the problem is he plays for the Angels who are nowhere to be seen in the playoff race so if he gets traded to a contender like the Braves he could be nationally recognized as one of the best starters in the game.
The one-speed bump that Alex Anthopoulos might face if they do go after Bundy is that the Angels are going to be selling high on him despite he is only on a one-year deal worth $5 million.
Another starter the Atlanta Braves should consider at the MLB trade deadline.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker is another guy that would be a cheap addition to the Braves’ starting rotation, as he is a pending free agent at the end of the 2020 season, and this year he is being paid a modest $2 million.
His numbers aren’t eye-popping this season, as he has a 4.00 ERA in 27 innings but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some positive signs when watching Walker’s starts in 2020.
Three of his five starts have gone at least six innings so he is another starter that can give Brian Snitker innings when he needs to and over half of the batters he faces result in ground balls.
Walker, 28, has a big frame at six feet, four inches and he has a power breaking ball that draws many swings and misses. An example of how good he can be was on July 31 vs the Oakland Athletics when he struck out eight batters and gave up just one hit in seven innings of work.
Taijuan Walker would be a low risk-high reward acquisition and could fill the role Felix Hernandez was supposed to have before he opted out of the 2020 season.
This familiar face might not be the worst idea for the Atlanta Braves.
Kevin Gausman is a familiar face to Atlanta Braves fans after he played for them in 2018 and the start of 2019 and it would be smart of them to get him back in a Braves uniform.
Gausman, 29, is another starting pitcher that is going to be on the free-agent market following the conclusion of the 2020 season, so Atlanta wouldn’t have to give up much to get him especially when you consider that he is on a non-contending team in the San Francisco Giants.
Gausman has six starts under his belt this season with 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings and over 40 total strikeouts. Like Cueto, you shouldn’t be too worried about how many innings he pitches every start because Gabe Kapler is trying to play matchups with his bullpen more than traditional managers like Brian Snitker would.
Gausman hasn’t allowed more than four runs in any start including two starts he made vs the best lineup in the National League–the Los Angeles Dodgers–where he gave up a combined three runs in 10.1 innings.
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It also shouldn’t be understated that he already knows how the Atlanta Braves are run–the coaching staff, the catchers, etc. It’s even more important during the coronavirus pandemic because players can’t get to know each other as they would in previous years so it would be a huge bonus for Atlanta to bring in a guy that can jump right in and help them win.