The 2025 MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching on Thursday, and it's safe to say that the Atlanta Braves won't be doing much buying this week. Sitting 15 games below .500 ahead of Tuesday's clash with the Kansas City Royals, the Braves have no reason to believe that the playoffs are an attainable goal and are likely just ready for the season to be over at this point.
With Braves fans not having much to be excited about, a good chunk of supporters are focusing on the action and rumors surrounding former Atlanta players. There's a good chance that a handful of ex-Braves on selling teams will be traded in the coming days, including one versatile infielder on an expiring contract.
Former Braves IF Gio Urshela Will Be Traded by A's Before Deadline
Currently, the second-worst team in the American League, all signs point to the Athletics being sellers before Thursday evening's deadline passes. Spotrac lists the A's as having five upcoming unrestricted free agents on the 26-man roster who could be trade candidates, including veteran infielder Gio Urshela.
Urshela is a 10-year MLB veteran who's played 840 regular-seasom games across eight franchises, with the Athletics being his latest club.
Braves fans will remember the 33-year-old vet after he signed with the franchise last August following his being designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers. He ended up playing 36 games (132 at-bats) with Atlanta to close out the year, slashing .265/.287/.424 with four home runs, 15 RBIs, and four walks.
He went hitless in six postseason ABs, though, which gave the Braves little incentive to re-sign him once the offseason arrived. Instead, he took his chances on a one-year contract with the Athletics, and has since tallied 17 RBIs, 12 doubles, and a dozen walks with a .621 OPS in 48 games (142 ABs).
Even if his season hasn't been amazing, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Urshela traded by Thursday. Playoff contenders love to add experienced depth pieces at this time of the year, and plenty of title-vying clubs could be interested in a veteran who has over 800 games of experience and has experience playing every infield position except catcher at the MLB level.
Throw in the fact that he's on an expiring contract, and Urshela is the prototypical rental player who's often moved at the end of July. Having already been traded four times in his career, it's far from a new experience for the former Brave.