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Atlanta Braves: Who Gets Traded First?

By John Buhler

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After getting swept by the Colorado Rockies in four games at Coors Field, I couldn’t be happier to see the Atlanta Braves head into All-Star Break.  Atlanta’s lone representative at this year’s Mid-Summer Classic is a starting pitcher that hasn’t won a game since May 17th.  It will be over 2 months between victories for Shelby Miller as a member of the Braves rotation this season.

-= Related: Atlanta Braves Swept in Denver, Lose to Rockies 11-3 =-

Perhaps it’s just how truly awful this weekend’s series in Denver went that he me feeling all sad about Atlanta Braves baseball at the moment.  Not only did the team get swept by the 14th best team in the National League, but our Closer ruptured his Achilles’ Saturday afternoon.  The Braves offense couldn’t score more than three runs in any ball game in Coors Field, a hitter’s paradise, this weekend.

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    • Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez referred to Coors Field as “a house of pain” during the Braves time in Denver.  That was a real confidence booster from our skipper.  Players were not running with any conviction on the baseline, we couldn’t bunt the ball to save our lives, and every time I looked up at the TV screen Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon‘s gnarly beard was starting back at me from first base.  Beard aside, I love Blackmon’s game and I want him to eventual come back to Georgia and be an Atlanta Brave. He went to North Gwinnett High School and played for Danny Hall at Georgia Tech.

    Sure, things can turn around after the Break I suppose for the Atlanta Braves.  But after a series reeking of total disinterest in Denver, Colorado, I think President of Baseball Operations John Hart needs to make some serious moves at the trade deadline.  As much as I want to project optimism with this interesting Atlanta ball club, Hart would be foolish to not move some pieces at the trade deadline.  So who does John Hart move first between now and the 31st of July?

    Had he not torn his Achilles’ Tendon I would have said RP Jason Grilli in a heartbeat.  Grilli was having a near All-Star season for the Atlanta Braves with 24 saves and a sub-3.00 ERA heading into the break.  Some bullpen could have used his arm in a pennant race later this summer.  I’m sure Hart could have gotten at least one solid prospect in return for Grilli’s rented services.

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    Could any of the Johnsons be on the move?  That’s certainly possible.  New closer Jim Johnson‘s value as a versatile late inning reliever should only improve once he starts recording a few more saves.  Most nights I’m very confident in JJ’s ability to induce grounders and record outs out of the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen.

    Kelly Johnson is an intriguing trade piece as he can hit for power and play roughly five defensive positions well.  I could see Hart moving KJ back to the American League for either an outfield or pitching prospect.

    It’s no secret that Hart has looked to trade 3B Chris Johnson for some time now.  He is the last of the bad contracts Frank Wren issued two winters ago.  CJ rarely starts at third now as Juan Uribe has showcased great defensive ability and raw power from the right side since coming to the Braves via the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Honestly, Hart could move Uribe, too for the right young prospect.

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    But perhaps the most interesting trade piece John Hart has at his disposal is CF Cameron Maybin.  Maybin has had a near All-Star first half for the Atlanta Braves this season.  He came to Atlanta as basically a throw-in player in the Craig Kimbrel deal with the San Diego Padres.  Maybin has given the Atlanta Braves more production from centerfield in one half of a season that the team has received in two plus seasons.

    While Hart could sell high on Maybin in the coming days, I’m not sure that the Braves would want to trade its best centerfielder since Michael Bourn.  Possibly by the end of 2015, Maybin will have surpassed Bourn’s productivity as a Brave.

    To me, there are only four non-rookies (organizational top prospects) that are non-tradable for John Hart: 1B Freddie Freeman, SS Andrelton Simmons, SP Julio Teheran, and RF Nick Markakis.  All are solid and have big contracts with the organization.  These four are clearly part of the team’s plans for the 2017 move to SunTrust Park.

    I wouldn’t be shocked if anybody else on the roster ended up getting traded.  Players like Alex Wood, AJ Pierzynski, and Jonny Gomes could be playing for somebody else in August if Hart got the right crop of prospects.

    But if I had to speculate, I think that Jim Johnson is the first to go.  A contending team is going to want his versatility coming out of the ‘pen.  If Hart and Gonzalez feel that Arodys Vizcaino or even Mike Foltynewicz are the heir apparent to Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning for the Atlanta Braves, I could totally see Jim Johnson playing for somebody else in two weeks time.

    Next: Atlanta Braves: Who Becomes Closer Following Grilli's Injury?

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