3 Atlanta Braves Who Will No Longer Be On The Roster By August 1st And Who Should Replace Them

For now, it’s pretty good to be an Atlanta Braves fan these days. They’re no longer the biggest disappointment this side of the AFI. Rather than sing about the sadness of always watching the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race, I’ll give you this. What if I told you there was a way for this team to improve between now and August 1st? Yes, there is, and it’s called the trade deadline.

We know that general manager Alex Anthopoulos is a businessman. He’s made a killing in at least two of his most recent deals, trading Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox and signing Reynaldo Lopez. Both Atlanta starting pitchers have absolutely earned their spots on the National League roster heading into this month’s MLB All-Star Game. Of course, he can’t stop there…

With the need for help in the outfield, as well as the back of the rotation, I envision a scenario in which Anthopoulos does enough to make the Braves a team everyone in baseball fears again. Sure, October has long been this franchise’s nightmare, but boy, wasn’t this 2021 World Series something else? This may not be the Braves’ year, but I want to see it all play out.

Here are three players I think will not make the 25-man roster after August 1st and who will replace them.

Bryce Elder may have pitched well in his last two starts for the Braves, but the 2023 National League All-Star has just one win this season and an ERA well over 5.00 in seven starts for the Braves this year. The fifth spot in Atlanta’s rotation has been a problem since Spencer Strider went down with a UCL injury, forcing everyone to move up one spot in Atlanta’s rotation. Will that be fixed?

Admittedly, it’s been a challenge to fill that role since Strider was injured for over three months. There’s hope Elder will reemerge as a player, but I don’t know. At times, it feels like rookie Spencer Schwellenbach shows promise, but he’s really struggling to get the call-up a second time around. AJ Smith-Shawver will probably get another chance, but I’m not exactly impressed with him.

I’ve noted Elder’s name for that #3 spot for now, as he’s actually the #5 starter.

Ideally, he would take or someone like Schwellenbach or Smith-Shawver would emerge. In time, that could be true, but the Braves have postseason games to win. While Anthopoulos might be more comfortable with either of those internal options, the starting pitcher from outside the organization who caught my eye is Max Fried’s high school teammate, Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers.

Flaherty signed a one-year deal with Detroit after spending most of his MLB career in St. Louis. Detroit is much better than I thought the Tigers would be, but they still aren’t playoff caliber. They could look to build toward 2025, but there’s no guarantee Flaherty will be part of the equation. The same goes for Fried in Atlanta, who will also be a free agent. What if Flaherty can convince Fried to stay?

Strider will be recovering and Charlie Morton could retire, so Atlanta could need both.

Atlanta is struggling in the outfield. While Jarred Kelenic was a great addition, Michael Harris II is still out with a hamstring injury and Ronald Acuña Jr. is out for the season with a torn ACL. Their extended absences have increased Kelenic’s importance, as well as relying on players like Adam Duvall, Ramon Laureano and Eli White to fill in. White is probably the least likely to stick around.

He may have hit a home run the other day, but his spot on Atlanta’s roster is totally up for grabs. I’d say he’ll be sent back as soon as Harris is healthy enough to return, but even then, it might not be enough to make up for losing Acuña for another season. I think the Braves could look to add a guy who’s played for the team before, someone who needs a ring…

I want to have confidence in the Braves’ outfield depth, but I’ve been feeling the antithesis of that lately.

Again, Harris is probably the most likely player to take White’s spot on the roster, but if we were to add a player from outside the organization, I’d bet on a former Brave in Kevin Pillar. Since being released by the Chicago White Sox, Pillar has thrived with the Los Angeles Angels. He recently reached 10 years of MLB service time, as well as 1,000 career hits. Pillar also plans to retire.

With the Angels and Braves having a lot of organizational ties, I think there’s a shift. Halos GM Perry Minasian does Pillar a favor and trades him to Atlanta for a lower-tier prospect. Pillar knows what it means to play hard for this team. The fact that he was drafted by Anthopoulos in 2011 while he was coaching Toronto means Pillar has come full circle.

Pillar may not be the sexiest acquisition to make at the trade deadline for Atlanta, but he seems like a safe bet.

He may be done for. Adam Duvall has been with the Braves for nearly a decade now. He is best known for hitting a grand slam in a World Series game the Braves lost at home to the Houston Astros. Duvall may have a knack for the big ball and can play all three outfield positions with grace, but he strikes out a lot and makes a lot of dumb baserunning errors.

Originally, he was supposed to play with Jarred Kelenic in left field, Michael Harris II in center and Ronald Acuña Jr. in right field. Of course, things have changed lately. Duvall is playing much more regularly than anyone in Braves country would have expected. While Kelenic has shined in his expanded role, Duvall has at times been a mere outfielder in Atlanta’s batting order. He may not have the power to hold his own.

Atlanta might keep him for good reasons of atmosphere and locker room, but what if he could do better?

As with Eli White, Duvall’s most likely replacement would be Harris internally once he comes off the injured list. Atlanta could be significantly better with their second-stringer on the team, but Harris doesn’t really solve Duvall’s growing problem. The player I hope Atlanta might try to trade would be Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena. That would be awesome!

For me, it’s not about replacing Harris, it’s about replacing Acuña. The Braves need a player who has the clutch gene to give Atlanta the upper hand down the stretch and into October. We’ve already seen what Arozarena did in October. Other players I’d say to target include Chicago Cubs star Cody Bellinger and that pearl-wearing son of a bitch named Joc Pederson.

Arozarena’s arrival at the Braves would certainly have had the merit of alerting the baseball world after this enormous trade.