On a day where the likes of Mike Clevinger, Mike Minor, Starling Marte, Robbie Ray, and several other big leaguers were dealt, the Braves stood pat with their current roster and made no moves prior to the 4 P.M. Monday deadline.
Safe to say, this is quite a bit surprising considering the state of the club’s starting rotation. Max Fried sports a 6-0 record with a 1.60 ERA to this point, while the rest of the Braves starters come in at 1-10 with a 7.23 ERA. It was almost a given that there would be movement on this front from GM Alex Anthopoulos, even after acquiring lefty Tommy Milone from the Orioles on Sunday.
AN UNDERWHELMING DEBUT
The 33-year-old Milone arrived off the back of a solid first six starts in 2020, where he posted a 3.99 ERA and walked just four batters in 26.1 innings of work. Despite this, his track record suggests he is nothing more than a back-of-the-rotation option, and his first career start as a Brave reinforces that idea.
Atlanta put Milone on a private jet Sunday morning in order to fast-track his debut in Philadelphia, which could be one of the factors in his rough start. The crafty left-hander failed to make it out of the third inning, surrendering seven earned runs via eight hits and two homers. It was a start reminiscent of those made by guys like Kyle Wright, Touki Toussaint, Josh Tomlin, and Robbie Erlin in recent weeks, and it certainly won’t fill Brian Snitker and the coaching staff with any confidence moving forward.
LYNN STAYS PUT
What would it have taken to acquire Lance Lynn from the Rangers? It was clear he was being shopped, and while the asking price may have been somewhat high, he fits the bill perfectly for what the Braves need right now. His advanced metrics, seen below, would have made him far and away the second-best starter in the rotation, and he is under contract for just $8 million through 2021.
We’ll never know exactly what the Rangers asked for, but at some point the Braves have to start turning prospects into immediate upgrades if they are serious about a World Series during Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Ozzie Albies’s primes. Outfielder Drew Waters seems like the ideal prospect to cash in on at this stage, with fellow outfield prospect Cristian Pache further along in the process and a more tantalizing package.
NOW WHAT?
With fellow National League contenders stacking up on talent for a World Series push, it is genuinely shocking that Anthopoulos and the front office didn’t add a starter or at least another bench bat.
The Padres were extremely active, adding Clevinger, Mitch Moreland, Trevor Rosenthal, Jason Castro, and Austin Nola, among others. Their division foes, the Marlins, added former All-Star Starling Marte as they try to make an improbable playoff run. Meanwhile, the 26-10 Los Angeles Dodgers look strong enough to push for a title without dipping into the market.
The Braves’ rotation, as I highlighted last week, is a major question mark moving forward. Rookie Ian Anderson dazzled in his debut against the Yankees, but at 23 years of age, there will surely be bumps in the road. The aforementioned crop of Erlin, Tomlin, and Milone will now be forced to get the job done unless Cole Hamels returns to full health or some combination of Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb come back significantly improved from the minors.
On the offensive side, outfielder Adam Duvall has struggled against right-handed pitching, while Ender Inciarte has given the team very little at the plate himself. By not acquiring even the slightest of upgrades for the bench, you have to wonder what exactly the Braves were expecting with the trade market.
Despite a bleak deadline day, the Braves still sit in first place at 20-14 and have a chance to challenge for a trophy because of this season’s unusual format. It’s just going to be a lot harder than it potentially could have been.
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