Braves insiders hint that Atlanta could trade a pair of star players; there is a real possibility that the Braves could get aggressive on the trade market if the opportunity arises.
For the Atlanta Braves and the rest of the league, this offseason is likely to be a lot like the previous one.
Prior to the 2023 season, free agent costs surged dramatically as organizations bemoaned the high cost of players on the free agent market and long-term nine-figure deals were being given out everywhere. No one can argue that costs grew dramatically everywhere, but part of that was due to a few large spenders (the Rangers, Mets, and Phillies in particular) skewing the market.
The Braves suffered a great deal as a result of the market shift. Dansby Swanson left for the Cubs, and Atlanta had to look to the trade market to add players to their roster. As a result, the Braves acquired Sean Murphy in a three-team deal that sent William Contreras to the other team.
Early signs point to an extremely similar offseason this year. Because Aaron Nola was eventually paid by the Phillies and Sonny Gray truly wanted to play for the Cardinals, he signed for a somewhat larger AAV than anticipated.
The Braves will either have to pay up if they want to solve their rotation issues or they will need to go to the trade market once more, and there are a few extremely intriguing names that may be acquired by them.
Are the Braves thinking of moving Raisel Iglesias or Marcell Ozuna?
One problem facing the Braves is that they currently lack depth and elite talent in the minor league ranks. Ignacio Nacho Alvarez, Hurston Waldrep, Owen Murphy, and AJ Smith-Shawver are all excellent players, but after that, Atlanta’s prospect depth becomes highly uncertain.
The Braves may need to use players from their major league roster in order to make a significant deal, which is where things get intriguing because they are pursuing higher-end possibilities like Dylan Cease.
Braves beat writer and all-around great guy Mark Bowman hinted yesterday that the Braves would think about dealing Marcell Ozuna or Raisel Iglesias.
The reasoning for this is that both players have large contract obligations for the upcoming seasons and may be assets Atlanta could afford to lose in order to bolster trade packages for a starting position that pays more and free up payroll for other purposes.
It was absurd to think that any team would want Ozuna at all just a year ago. In addition to being truly awful in 2021, 2022, and the beginning of 2023, he also had two run-ins with the law, which have marred his time with the Braves.
Nevertheless, after he had a.905 OPS and 3.3 rWAR with 40 home runs in 2023, his value on the trade market skyrocketed.
For the past year and a half, Iglesias has been a great addition to Atlanta’s bullpen, but the Braves’ bullpen is currently quite deep, so they could definitely afford to spare him for the proper deal.
Is it likely that these two players will be traded? To be honest, probably not. The Braves should seize the opportunity to sell high on Ozuna, but teams will remember his recent at-bat woes and the $16 million he is owed for 2024, as well as his legal issues that will restrict his price.
It would be much easier to move Iglesias, but it is difficult to sell a great deal to the Braves when they are anticipated to be among the top teams in baseball for the foreseeable future.
Still, the Braves might need to transfer one or both of those players to close a major deal.
It is even less probable that the Braves will be able to trade Michael Harris II or Ozzie Albies, and dealing Max Fried—who is about to enter his final season of team control—makes sense given Atlanta’s starting pitching depth problems. Additionally, the Braves’ lineup remains intact.
It seems more likely that a guy like Vaughn Grissom is more likely to get traded, although whether or not he is enough to headline a trade package is open for debate.