Which pieces might the Braves move at the Trade Deadline?

For the last couple of years the Braves have been sellers at the trade deadline and this year looks to be the same trend with the Braves falling close to 30 games under .500 and the worst record in baseball. Even though the Braves have played considerably better under Snitker as manager, this team will be fighting the rest of the way to avoid 100+ losses in back to back seasons. Last offseason the Braves acquired a number of veterans that were expected to be valuable pieces for trade chips come July 31st. Some of the pieces have performed beyond their expectations and others have fallen far short of their expectations. Let’s explore which players can be moved and what are reasonable returns on the trade chips.

JULIO TEHERAN, SP / 3-8, 2.79 ERA / Take a sigh of relief (for now) Braves Country, because in a conversation with John Coppolella yesterday afternoon the Braves GM adamantly reiterated that the Braves are not in the market to trade Julio Teheran at this moment because the organization believes he has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and Teheran needs to be the leader of the rotation going into next season if they want to win games. BUT, this doesn’t mean the Braves are fielding offers for Teheran - there’s a price for every player and even Julio can be sold for the right package of prospects. It’s going to take a huge haul, probably an organization’s top couple of prospects or an outstanding catcher (like the Cub’s Kyle Schwarber).

ERIK AYBAR, SS / .206 AVG, 1 HR, 14 RBI / I know what you’re thinking… who in their right mind would give something up to trade for Erik Aybar? When the Braves traded away Andrelton Simmons to the Angels or Aybar and a package of prospects, the plans were to send Aybar packing for another smaller package of prospects to a team that would have been in the market for the career .273 hitter that Aybar usually is. But the reality is that his production is a ghost of his career averages, and his return has significantly sloped. Before the All Star Break he was playing better, but the break did him no good as he has fallen back into his 2016 season production as of late. Even if the return on Aybar is minimal or close to nothing - the Braves will take whatever they can get for him and clear space for Dansby Swanson to take over SS in late August or early September.

NICK MARKAKIS, RF / .260 AVG, 5 HR, 47 RBI / When Markakis signed with his hometown Braves before last season he was expected to provide a bat behind Freeman to prevent pitchers from batting around him, but he was called upon to take over the leadoff spot in the lineup. He did well hitting a .296 with 3 HR and 53 RBIs last season, and his peak value was probably during the offseason at the Winter Meetings when the Orioles and Royals were most desperate for outfield depth. His value hasn’t completely plummeted, but his return is not what it could have been. The Braves could probably trade Markakis and the three years left on his contract for a role player with an expiring contract, or maybe a mid-level bullpen arm.

ARODYS VIZCAINO, RP / 1-4, 3.00 ERA, 10 SV in 39 Games / The initial hope was that Vizcaino would grow and develop into the next young closer for the Braves, and at the beginning of the season it looked like he would be. As of late though, Vizcaino has struggled mightily with save opportunities. His main issue has been allowing the leadoff man on, I could be wrong with this statistic but he allows something close to 40% of leadoff hitters on the basepaths, which is unhealthy for relief pitchers. His velocity, potential and contract make him an attractive bullpen asset for a contender. It is no secret that the Red Sox and Cubs are interested trade partners, but his recent struggles and trip to the DL will make it difficult to trade him for the return the Braves are looking for. Additionally, recent call up and flamethrower Mauricio Cabrera has matured every outing displaying string mound presence, a 101+ mph fastball and filthy curveball - so the Braves could possibly hold onto to Vizcaino and bring a two-headed flamethrowing monster at the end of their bullpen into SunTrust Park next year.

GORDON BECKHAM/JEFF FRANCEOUR/ADONIS GARCIA/CHASE D’ARNOUD / These four players are categorized together because they’re four pieces I don’t see moving at the trade deadline. Beckham has been a solid utility infielder and veteran hitter for the Braves when he’s been healthy, but staying healthy this season has been an issue for him. While Beckham is the most likely player to move at the deadline out of this bunch, the hamstring issues are most likely the reason he ends up making it through the trade deadline as a Brave - but it would be nice to clear some space in the infield when Swanson & Albeis take over the middle infield. In his return to Atlanta, Franceour has been an exemplary hard working veteran that has been beneficial for the clubhouse as a leader, and the club likes his leadership so I don’t expect him to go anywhere. After getting sent down to Gwinnett and called back up, the Cuban third basemen Adonis Garcia has been solid middle of the order bat and even a reliable glove. While AAA 3B prospect Rio Ruiz has plateaued in production, Garcia seems to be a guy that the Braves will at least keep around for the rest of this season and let him compete for the job next year unless they find the solidified third basemen of the future in the offseason. Chase d’Arnoud has been a pleasant surprise this season, even averaging above .300 for a stretch after getting called up, and his ability to play the outfield and infield provides the Braves with depth - his ability as a pinch hitter, fielder and motor reminds me of a less developed Martin Prado, which is crucial in winning games next season.

ERIC O’FLAHERTY, RP / While I didn’t expect O’Flaherty to be on this list through the first half of the season, every contending team can never have enough left handed pitching, so reports have surfaced that the Orioles have contacted the Braves about O’Flaherty. I would expect O’Flaherty to be traded because he’s certainly not very valuable to the long term plan in Atlanta and even if the return isn’t much on him, it’s at least something the Braves might be able to develop - much like the Jason Grilli trade earlier this year.

HECTOR OLIVERA, 3B & LF / As apart of his suspension, Olivera was allowed to begin a minor league rehab assignment two weeks ago and after batting .885 for a week in the Gulf Coast League for the Advanced A club, he was promoted to the Triple A club in Gwinnett. Coppy has publicly expressed his displeasure with Olivera’s issues off the field and on the field, and it is no secret the Braves have been trying to trade him and could even release him in the offseason. Releasing him would be a costly adventure, and since he can’t make his big league return until after the trade deadline it is unlikely we will get anything back for him and his large contract. I’m not going to condone his actions off the field because they were inexcusable, but if he can hit and play left field like the $30 million the Braves are paying him to do then I don’t think he’s worth letting go, especially at a time when reliable bats are a huge question mark for the Braves going into a new ballpark next season.