Braves trade deadline takeaways: Sellers not buyers, practical moves not sexy ones

New York Times

31-07-2025

CINCINNATI — For the first time in eight years, the underperforming, injury-riddled Atlanta Braves were sellers at the trade deadline. But they didn't have a lot to sell that others were clamoring for, with so few pending free agents and with the Braves not ready to give up on some players on long-term contracts who've struggled for much of the season.
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Still, after plummeting to the fourth-worst record in the majors, the Braves recently stopped talking about turning the season around or hoping for reinforcements at the deadline. Their pursuit of an eighth consecutive postseason berth was obliterated, and their trade-deadline moves reflected as much.
The Braves mostly sought to dump some expiring contracts and add prospects who could help win down the road — perhaps as soon as next season, when Atlanta intends to be back in its accustomed position among NL East contenders.
They've got work to do before that's realistic, but they've begun clearing the decks by being sellers at the trade deadline for the first time since Alex Anthopoulos was hired as general manager before the 2018 season.
The few moves they made this year weren't sexy; they were practical. Done to help the Braves get through this excruciating season, trim a little payroll, and add a little prospect depth to the system.
As Marcell Ozuna's hitting slump grinded on through the summer, it was widely assumed the Braves would trade the 34-year-old designated hitter, since he will be a free agent this winter.
But there was no deal when the 6 p.m. ET deadline arrived, and Ozuna remains a Brave for the rest of this season. His extended slump and more than $5 million remaining on his $18 million salary this season — and perhaps off-the-field issues from a few years ago — outweighed his stellar performance the previous two seasons and a two-homer mini-resurgence this week at Kansas City.
But it's also important to note, as Anthopoulos did after the deadline, Ozuna has trade-veto rights as a player with 10 years of service and at least five with his current team. Anthopoulos said he did not present him with any trade offers to decide on, however.
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The Braves surely won't make a qualifying offer to Ozuna this winter — the standard QO was more than $21 million last winter — since he'd probably take it and the Braves have no interest in paying an aging DH anywhere near that. Or any DH, for that matter.
The Braves used catchers Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin to split catching and DH roles during a two-week stretch that began before the All-Star break, and seem inclined to use that arrangement next season for much of the time, which would allow them to allocate dollars spent on a primary DH toward another need instead.
The Braves traded veteran reliever Rafael Montero to Detroit late Wednesday for versatile Double-A infielder Jim Jarvis, 24, which added position-player depth to a minor-league system that certainly needs it.
More significant Braves bullpen trades were widely expected to commence on Thursday, but that didn't happen either. They didn't find a taker for closer Raisel Iglesias, another pending free agent, and didn't want to part with reliable set-up man Pierce Johnson — he has an affordable $7 million club option in 2026 — without getting a significant return.
To help a depleted bullpen for the rest of the season, the Braves traded for veteran reliever Tyler Kinley earlier in the week from the Colorado Rockies, giving up only a 24-year-old Double-A pitcher, Austin Smith, who didn't figure in Atlanta's plans.
Kinley, 34, had a road ERA (4.28) more than three runs lower than his ERA at Coors Field. The hard-throwing right-hander had a .206 opponents' average and .608 OPS on the road, compared to .259/.812 at Colorado.
He's also pitched much better overall recently, posting a 1.98 ERA in his past 13 appearances, with 18 strikeouts and three walks in 13 2/3 innings. The Braves hope he continues that run to help their bullpen get to the finish line.
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The Braves are responsible for a $750,000 buyout of the $5 million option on Kinley's contract for 2026.
Scrambling to fill out their injury-riddled starting rotation for the rest of the season while trying to avoid rushing prospects from the minors before they're ready, the Braves made trades on consecutive days for veterans Erick Fedde, who was DFA'd last week by the Cardinals, and Carlos Carrasco, who was DFA'd in May by the Yankees.
The Braves gave up no players or prospects for either, and cash considerations mentioned in the trade announcements were merely the small amounts that Atlanta will pay each as a portion of their salary for the remainder of the season.
These were salary dumps by the Cardinals and Yankees, and necessary/desperate moves by the Braves to finish out the season without relying on numerous bullpen games or thrusting still-developing prospects into big-league starts they probably aren't ready for, something the Braves did a couple of times in recent years with negative results.
Fedde already made his first start for the Braves on Tuesday at Kansas City, and Carrasco started Thursday at Cincinnati. Carrasco was 4-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 games in Triple A, including 4-0 with a 2.21 ERA in his past six.
(Top photo of Erick Fedde: Ed Zurga / Getty Images)