The Deals Failed to be made at the Trade Deadline

In my last post, I gave the Braves a Trade Deadline grade of a C. This low grade wasn't because of the deals made at the deadline, it was the deals that weren't made at the deadline.

A successful trade deadline this year would have been unloading the veterans currently on the roster that aren't apart of the long term plan for the Braves and clearing roster space for minor league prospects to get their major league feet wet during the last two months of the season.

When the Braves acquired Erik Aybar from the Angels, his only purpose was to be traded by the deadline to clear roster space so that Dansby Swanson could take the reigns at shortstop for the next 15 years. Even if the return on Aybar isn't what the Braves planned on getting when they acquired him, they need to unload him even if it means designating him for assignment.

Gordon Beckham is an Atlanta native and former Bulldog, when the Braves signed him in the offseason he was expected to hold down the middle infield or third base and through the first 1/3rd of the season he was holding it down, but he has been unable to overcome a hamstring injury and two DL stints. Health severely hurt his trade value even though he was batting .284 before the second hamstring injury. The difference between Aybar and Beckham is obviously the batting average but also the ability to play all of the positions, which is why Beckham probably stays and Aybar needs to go.

In his last 14 games Nick Markakis is batting .354, and this year alone he has five times more homers already than he had all of last year. His glove and fielding percentage have declined this season but his consistently reliable bat compensate for the fielding percentage. Teams like the Royals, Orioles, Dodgers, and the Red Sox were all looking to purchase outfield depth but it looks like the Braves were asking for far too much in return for Markakis. Now the club is stuck in a predicament with too many everyday outfielders. For now the starters should be Ender Inciarte still in center, Markakis remains in right and with the addition of Kemp he'll take over left field. Franceour, Peterson and D'Arnoud have been the platoon of left fielders since Mallex Smith went down with a broken thumb, but when (or if) Smith comes back this season some tough decisions will have to be made. Franceour has far exceeded his expectations but he is better served as a backup and pinch hitter out of the dugout. Peterson and D'Arnoud can move back to the infield, but like I mentioned earlier, the middle infield is also too crowded with Beckham and Aybar still on the roster.

Then there's Jim Johnson, who was chosen as the NL Player of the Week at the perfect time - days before the trade deadline. He has been the most effective bullpen arm in all of baseball recently and the return on Johnson could have been solid. He could have provided a contending team a lot of bullpen stability - but after he fell apart last season when he was traded to the Dodgers, maybe teams were cautious on trading for him. I can imagine the Braves were asking for too much in return for Johnson, like they might have also done with Markakis. The club might be better off keeping Johnson for the rest of the season to keep some bullpen depth this season and possibly next.

MOVING FORWARD

While most fans would prefer to see Swanson and Albeis promoted and Mallex back in the lineup (when healthy) for the last two months of the season, maybe the Braves plan on waiting until they open SunTrust Park. Going into the offseason the Braves should be making a number of moves to improve the lineup for 2017: Markakis or Kemp will need to be moved, the starting rotation will need much more stability and lastly another bat with bases clearing ability out of the catcher or third base position is needed to complete the lineup.