Atlanta Braves: Time to Start Dealing Surplus of Young Pitching?

The Atlanta Braves have built up a surplus of young and talented pitching prospects from their plethora of trades over the past year.

Following their most recent trade sending shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Atlanta Braves acquired even more young pitching with the addition of now top prospect Sean Newcomb and top 10 prospect Chris Ellis. Newcomb and Ellis are added to the list of young pitchers now in the Braves’ system: Matt Wisler, Mike Foltynewicz, Max Fried, Manny Banuelos, Tyrell Jenkins, Touki Toussaint, Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, Lucas Sims, John Gant, Rob Whalen, and Ryan Weber. The Atlanta Braves also have two major league starters with talent in Julio Teheran and Shelby Miller.

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Trade rumors are circulating that the Atlanta Braves are actively shopping ace Shelby Miller in order to get an impact bat for the upcoming season. While Miller had a frustrating 2015 campaign with the Atlanta Braves, not winning an outing for 24 consecutive contests, he was nonetheless on the best pitchers in the National League this past season, and those losses are a testiment to the futility of the Braves offense, not his contributions on the mound.

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As the MLB Winter Meetings approach, the greatest deficiency for the Atlanta Braves is the dearth of impact bats in the lineup. With the exception of Freddie Freeman (who may get traded in the near future), it’s uncertain what the Atlanta Braves’ front-office will do to address the issue, but it’s clear that improving the offense is a top priority. The farm system also lacks many impact bats, with the exception of Braxton Davidson and Austin Riley. The Braves have addressed their systemic pitching needs, but must now focus on acquiring and developing impact hitters.

With newfound financial flexibility as a product of the trades of Craig Kimbrel, Melvin Upton Jr. and Andrelton Simmons, the Atlanta Braves can attempt to sign an impact bat in free agency; but more likely than shelling out a max deal for a player, the Braves will most likely trade off their surplus of young pitching: the best currency in baseball.

On Tuesday, it was reported that the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks discussed a trade involving Shelby Miller for A.J. Pollock. The talks broke down, but the discussion demonstrates the front-office’s intention of trading pitching for an impact bat like Pollock. It was reported today that the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers are showing interest in Shelby Miller. 

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With only fives spots in the starting rotation, there are only so many spots for the Braves stable of young pitchers. So who gets traded? As aforementioned, I think Shelby Miller, Mike Minor and/or Julio Teheran will exit Atlanta via a trade this year. That means that next year’s rotation will feature a very young and inexperienced staff. I also believe that other prospects like Tyrell Jenkins and Lucas Sims are assets that the front-office could use to acquire a bat.

I don’t believe that the Atlanta Braves will trade newly acquired Sean Newcomb or last year’s first round draft pick Kolby Allard. Now that he is the number 1 prospect in the organization and a potential ace, he is close to untouchable. In the end, it’s up to the Atlanta Braves’ front-office to assess what prospects they see in their future and what prospects they deem expendable.

It’s wise for the Atlanta Braves to start using these prospects to go out and get a bat. Teams that lack any young pitching, like the Milwaukee Brewers, could part with a bat like Ryan Braun or Jonathan Lucroy. Even the Chicago Cubs could throw in a young bat from their fertile farm system if they engaged the Atlanta Braves in trade discussions.

Next: Shelby Miller: Braves Pitcher on the Trading Block?

I don’t know the direction that the Atlanta Braves will go this offseason, but I do believe that the club will acquire one or more impact bats (either major league ready or a top prospect) this offseason from using their surplus of young pitching. It’s frustrating right now, but we must trust in the plan.