The Braves are actively surveying the trade market in an effort to bolster their outfield group, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Atlanta recently brought veteran Eddie Rosario back on a minor league deal after he was released by the Nationals, but president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is also canvassing the market for more certain upgrades. Talks to this point have been “preliminary” in nature, Rosenthal adds.
There’s little surprise that Atlanta is seeking to augment its outfield mix. Ronald Acuna Jr. was lost for the season two months ago when he suffered an ACL tear, and Michael Harris II is still on the mend from a Grade 2 hamstring strain suffered in mid-June. That pair of injuries has left the Braves relying on Jarred Kelenic in center field, where he’s being flanked by a combination of Adam Duvall, Ramon Laureano and Luke Williams. (Laureano, like Rosario, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta after being released earlier in the season.)
As one would imagine after a pair of major injuries to starters, the production from the Atlanta outfield hasn’t been anywhere close to expectation this season. Braves outfielders have combined to hit .239/.296/.372 on the season. That batting average lands them in the middle of the pack of MLB clubs, but they’re 24th in OBP from their outfield corps and 21st in slugging. Going back to the time Acuna was lost for the season, Atlanta outfielders are hitting just .227/.276/.374.
It’s still “early” enough in trade season that a number of borderline Wild Card contenders haven’t committed to a deadline strategy yet. There are a handful of outfielders who’ll clearly be available in trade among the few clear-cut sellers, however. The White Sox (Tommy Pham, Luis Robert Jr., Gavin Sheets), A’s (Brent Rooker, Miguel Andujar), Marlins (Jazz Chisholm Jr.) and Angels (Kevin Pillar, Taylor Ward) all have outfielders who are expected to be available between now and the July 30 trade deadline. Depending on how things play out around the league, that list could expand to include names like Lane Thomas, Jesse Winker, Randal Grichuk, Harrison Bader, Kevin Kiermaier and Mark Canha, among others.
Presumably, Atlanta’s focus will be on shorter-term solutions. Acuna is signed through 2026 with club options for the 2027-28 seasons. Harris is signed all the way through 2030, with club options for the 2031-32 seasons. Kelenic is under club control via arbitration through 2028. It’s certainly possible the Braves still acquire someone signed/controlled beyond the current season, but any such acquisition would likely need some familiarity playing elsewhere on the diamond, as the 2025 outfield is generally already in place.
Salary is likely another factor worth taking into consideration. Per RosterResource, Atlanta’s luxury-tax ledger is just shy of $273MM, placing them a little more than $4MM away from the third tier of penalization. Crossing into the third tier is the point at which a team’s top pick in the following year’s draft is pushed back 10 places — an outcome most clubs prefer to avoid. A trade partner could always pay down some salary to help alleviate those concerns for the Braves, but that would also only increase the cost in terms of prospects.