Will Braves, Mets end up in trade war over Cincinnati Reds’ Brandon Drury?

There is no question that Brandon Drury of the Cincinnati Reds is expected to be a coveted trade asset at the upcoming MLB trade deadline. Among the franchises expected to compete for his services are a pair of teams who are battling for supremacy in the National League East — the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets.

Trade rumors: Could the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets battle each other to acquire Brandon Drury of the Cincinnati Reds?

The 29-year-old Drury has made himself one of the best trade pieces that could be made available by the Cincinnati Reds at this year’s trade deadline, hitting his career-high 17th home run of the season on Sunday. Heading into Monday’s action, he is slashing .270/.331/.533, helping to boost his name as the MLB trade deadline frenzy draws near and putting an interesting twist on Drury, who signed a minor league deal with the Reds after spring training was already underway.

Drury is scheduled to be a free agent for the 2023 season and is on a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Reds, so the price is certainly reasonable and any team that signs him can decide if they want him to be a part of their plans past this season. Flipping him makes plenty of sense for the Reds, a team that is expected to keep the rebuild that started early in the offseason moving forward.

Could one of Cincinnati’s potential trade partners for Drury be the Braves or Mets? Joel Sherman of The New York Post mentioned Drury as a potential fit for the Mets (and maybe even the Yankees) in this article. With Drury playing second, third, and in the outfield, his versatility could certainly be a plus for any team. However, the Mets could especially use an offensive upgrade at third base, with Eduardo Escobar has struggled this season and New York has posted a minus-0.9 bWAR (25th in baseball) at the position.

With the Braves, the foot fracture suffered by second baseman Ozzie Albies in mid-June opened up an opportunity for Drury to fit in there and then move around the diamond when Albies returns (which is expected to be sometime this season, although the timeline is murky).

Atlanta enters Monday’s action just 3.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East standings. Drury could potentially be a difference-maker for either team in what should be a very interesting division race throughout the rest of the season.