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 outfielderChris Denorfia.
Denorfia is getting moved today from#Padres.#Royalsand#Bravesare the leaders
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1)July 31, 2014
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 overJordan 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 withJason Heywardas 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.
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