Atlanta Braves: Buyers or Sellers at the Trade Deadline?

The 2015 incarnation of the Atlanta Braves is the complete antithesis of the team from last season.

Though the Braves have a severe lack of power as opposed to last year’s club, this year’s team thrives offensively by playing small-ball and making contact to manufacture runs.

The Atlanta Braves are the type of fickle team where one moment you will think that they have turned the corner and the next moment the sky is falling. They begin games with big leads, only to give them up in the late innings (as shown in today’s heartbreaking loss to the Milwaukee Brewers).

The Braves this season have certainly exceeded preseason expectations, hovering around the .500 mark for most of the season, and are only 4.5 games out of first place in the NL East as of today. With the chance for a postseason berth still attainable, will John Hart ride this wave of relative success for the rest of the year, or punt the season to sell high on some players having excellent years?

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Hart proved during the offseason he is not afraid of blowing up a team. He traded away Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis and Craig Kimbrel to improve organizational depth — and this trade deadline may offer the Atlanta Braves’ President of Baseball Operations another opportunity to add some valuable pieces to the club by trading away players whose current success is most likely not sustainable.

If the Atlanta Braves do decide to buy this trade deadline, John Hart will address the problematic bullpen. The relief corps has been the primary reason this team does not have a better record, and if the team acquired one or two more solid relief pitchers, the Atlanta Braves could instantly become a more dangerous team in the National League playoff picture.

Jun 10, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves

Kelly Johnson

(24) hits an RBI single in the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

In all likelihood, the Atlanta Braves will probably sell at the deadline. Three players that the Atlanta Braves might move in the near future are Cameron Maybin, Kelly Johnson and A.J. Pierzynski.

Maybin is currently having his best season in his 8 year career, batting .295 with 8 home-runs, 15 stolen bases and 43 RBI’s. Maybin has not had this kind of production during his time as a pro, and many contenders would be willing to part with some prospects to add a solid outfielder.

Kelly Johnson is another player that could be moved by the Atlanta Braves before the July 31st trade deadline. Though he is hitting a pedestrian .266 on the year, Kelly Johnson provides a veteran presence and a good bat off the bench. He is a versatile player, capable of playing both the infield and the outfield.

The Atlanta Braves veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski is another piece the Atlanta Braves could move. At 38-years-old, Pierzynski has been hot as of late, having hits in 10 of his last 13 at bats. His leadership would be valuable to a young contender such as the Houston Astros, and because of his age, it is probable to believe that the Braves know that this would be their only chance to capitalize on his good play to receive something in return.

“Hart proved during the offseason he is not afraid of blowing up a team.”

As it stands today, it is likely that John Hart will not allow this current rendition of the team to remain intact and will try to acquire as much talent as he can. His plan is not shortsighted, and the likelihood that the Braves will be sellers at the deadline falls in line with Hart’s long-term vision for the organization.

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