This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
There might never again be a greater Trade Deadline haul than the one that propelled the Braves to the 2021 World Series title. But when evaluating what was gained, don’t forget about the significance of the one addition who didn’t even make the postseason roster.
When thinking about who Alex Anthopoulos acquired during the final weeks of July 2021, Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler immediately come to mind. Atlanta came to fully appreciate Joctober, and they cemented their Deadline success after Rosario won the NLCS MVP and Soler was named World Series MVP.
Within the same postseason run, the bullpen (or at least its four key members) became recognized as The Night Shift. But you have to wonder if Will Smith, Tyler Matzek, A.J. Minter and Luke Jackson would have been that great had Richard Rodriguez not been acquired from the Pirates at the Deadline.
Rodriguez allowed homers to five of the final 42 batters he faced and posted a 6.75 ERA over his final 10 appearances during the 2021 regular season. But he posted a 1.07 ERA in his first 17 appearances for Atlanta and ended up eating 26 innings over the season’s final two months.
This was a long way of saying that the Braves might not need to make a big splash to get a significant upgrade before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.
The need for a starter has decreased since Bryce Elder has righted himself in his past two starts. Uncertainty in two of the five rotation spots could negatively impact the bullpen down the stretch. But if Elder is right, the Braves might have enough pieces to adequately mix and match in the fifth spot over the rest of the season.
AJ Smith-Shawver will likely be sent back down after Sunday’s start against the Brewers. The top prospect allowed three runs over five innings, but he looked much better than he had when he came up to make three starts in June. His velocity dipped, but he touched 98.5 mph in the first inning. He’s a kid with a high ceiling who just isn’t quite ready for the big league scene. But he can be serviceable when needed.
Jared Shuster allowed at least six runs in three of the first four starts he made for Gwinnett since last being sent back down. He then tossed six scoreless innings on Tuesday. The White Sox asked about him when the Braves were showing interest in Lance Lynn. Other teams might show interest over the next 24 hours. Or the lefty might be among those used to plug one of Atlanta’s rotation voids over the next couple weeks and months.
Michael Soroka feels like he is close to being where he needs to be. He allowed a pair of homers in his first start after being sent down to Triple-A Gwinnett last week. But he completed 6 2/3 innings, and he continued to show he can stay healthy. We still don’t know whether he can get back to where he was before first tearing his right Achilles in 2020. But that’s because four months isn’t long enough to determine exactly what he could do after a nearly three-year layoff. He, too, could be serviceable when needed down the stretch.
Yonny Chirinos will make his second Braves start on Wednesday. The scouting report I received after he was claimed off waivers from the Rays read: “Sinker/slider/splitter guy who is physically incapable of getting any swing-and-miss.” The good news is he produced a season-best 16.4% (10 of 61) whiff rate while allowing four runs over 3 2/3 innings against the Brewers on Friday. He, too, might be capable of eating innings down the stretch.
Allan Winans made a good impression when he debuted in Milwaukee last weekend. His slider will play at the big league level. So, he provides the Braves another fifth-starter option over the final two months.
With Max Fried coming back to pitch Friday or Saturday at Wrigley Field, the Braves rotation might be rounding into shape. Each of these pitchers could fill the fifth spot for the rest of the year.
Or maybe a couple of them could be dealt before Tuesday’s Deadline.
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