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Atlanta Braves: Five Possible Trade Deadline Targets

By Matthew Mastandrea

ATLANTA, GA - MAY 16: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves dives safely for third base on his triple hit in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at SunTrust Park on May 16, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 16: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves dives safely for third base on his triple hit in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at SunTrust Park on May 16, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 08: Adrian Beltre #29 of the Texas Rangers hits a single in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 8, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 08: Adrian Beltre #29 of the Texas Rangers hits a single in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 8, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Power Move with Adrian Beltre 

This is probably the least likely move to happen, however, it’s one Atlanta could certainly look into.

Adrián Beltré has been one of the games best at third base all his career, and he still continues to rake at age 39, batting .314 this season with one homer to go along with 12 RBI.

This move would not only upgrade Atlanta’s already potent offense, but it would almost certainly upgrade the Braves chances at potentially winning the Division for the first time since 2013.

This is a move that Anthopoulos could look to make if the following three things happen: José Bautista continues to hit for a low average. Ryan Flaherty  (Batting .208 over the past month), and Johan Camargo (.193 average) continue to struggle. Atlanta decides to let their third basemen of the future, Austin Riley get some more seasoning down in Triple-A.

Beltré is in the last year of his contract, which means that while he will take a haul, it won’t be as hefty, and he won’t cost as much as Manny Machado would. This also means that fans won’t have to worry about Beltre coming in and blocking Riley. He will simply be a stop-gap for the Playoff run. Beltré is owed 18 million this season, so the Braves would have to find a way to offset the money he’s owed, whether that be having Texas pay it, or send back a bad contract in the deal.

The Rangers (17-28), currently sit at the bottom of the AL West, which will most likely result in them selling some pieces off. At the right price, Atlanta would benefit from adding this fan favorite to their roster.

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