Braves' Final Guide, Ideal Targets for 2022 MLB Trade Deadline
The Atlanta Braves used a 21-6 month of June to value back into contention, and they are now poised to battle the New York Mets for NL East supremacy the rest of the way in their quest to repeat as World Series champions.
The front office did a great job making a handful of under-the-radar moves at the deadline last year that wound up paying huge dividends, including adding NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario and World Series MVP Jorge Soler.
This year's trade deadline is on Tuesday, Aug. 2, and teams will have until 6 p.m. ET that day to put the finishing touches on their roster for the stretch run.
Ahead we have taken a closer look at the buyer vs. seller debate while also highlighting a pair of ideal targets to address their roster needs.
Buyers or Sellers?
The Braves were 51-54 at the trade deadline last season, but that didn't stop the front office from taking an opportunistic approach to the trade deadline.
Joc Pederson, Stephen Vogt, Richard Rodriguez, Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario were all added to the roster via trade, and that transformed an underperforming outfield and lineup.
They made all of those moves without mortgaging any top prospect talent, and it wound up culminating in a World Series title.
Could we see a similar approach this summer?
Regardless, expect them to be buyers, and finding a stopgap at second base while Ozzie Albies is on the injured list and bolstering the starting rotation will be their biggest to-do list items.
Ideal Target: IF Brandon Drury
Signed to a one-year, $700,000 deal during the offseason, Brandon Drury has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 season.
The 29-year-old is hitting .271/.330/.517 for a 125 OPS+ with 20 doubles, 19 home runs and 57 RBI in 86 games, and he has done it while playing all four infield positions and right field defensively.
With the Cincinnati Reds out of contention and Drury having a career year on a one-year contract, there might not be a more obvious trade candidate in all of baseball, and the Braves have looked like a logical landing spot since Ozzie Albies hit the injured list with a fractured left foot in mid-June.
His versatility means a wide variety of contenders will be interested, but it still won't cost any elite prospect talent to acquire him as a two-month rental.
Ideal Target: SP Jose Quintana
With rookie standout Spencer Strider rapidly approaching a career-high in innings pitched during his professional career and Ian Anderson struggling to an 8.03 ERA in his last six starts, the Braves would be wise to add some starting pitching depth.
That doesn't mean they need to aim as high as Luis Castillo (CIN) or Frankie Montas (OAK), who will likely both take multiple top prospects to acquire, but there are other temporary options on the market who could be a fit.
Left-hander Jose Quintana signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates during the offseason after struggling to a 6.43 ERA in 63 innings last season, and he has been a rock solid option all season.
The 33-year-old has a 3.70 ERA and 3.26 FIP in 97.1 innings on the year, and he tossed seven shutout innings against the Miami Marlins last time out.
He would slot nicely at the back of the Atlanta rotation and could chew through some quality innings down the stretch without costing a significant prospect return.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Tuesday's games.