Report: Atlanta Braves emerge as ‘leader’ to acquire Chris Denorfia

The trade deadline is merely hours away in Major League Baseball, and while the Atlanta Braves haven’t been prominently featured for the “big guns”, many believe that they will make a small but potentially impactful deadline acquisition. The latest name to emerge in rumors with the Braves is San Diego Padres outfielder Chris Denorfia.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Denorfia will almost assuredly be moved by the Padres, and with the Braves needing a bench bat and an upgrade over Jordan Schafer (yes, please), this makes a great deal of sense. Overall, the 33-year-old Denorfia is having an ugly season with a .242/.293/.319 slash line in 268 plate appearances, but with limited playing time, he could be a real asset, simply because of his proficiency in beating up right-handed pitching.

Chris Denorfia has a career slash line of .301/.367/.433 for an .809 OPS against right-handers, and with the bench being a sore spot at the moment, that would be a big lift. Defensively, he is nothing exceedingly special, but with Jason Heyward as a more than capable centerfield option, a Denorfia addition would free up Frank Wren to rid himself of Jordan Schafer entirely, which would almost certainly be a positive.

It remains to be seen whether Wren and company can finalize a deal (or who would be available to send to San Diego), but talks are certainly heating up at this stage. Stay tuned.