Atlanta Braves’ plan should be clear heading to major league trade deadline

Two weeks ago, when the Atlanta Braves reached the .500 mark, some fans got excited. Maybe, just maybe, this Braves team could do something special in the second part of the season and make a run for the playoffs.

Reality has set back in, however, as the Braves continue to struggle to stay at the break-even point. Like all season, this team has been up and down, with good games and bad games, showing few signs it will be able to leap over the .500 hump.

So, what do the Braves do before Monday’s trade deadline — buy or sell? Well, the past two weeks have confirmed what we knew all along. The Braves are still rebuilding, and they need to continue that process by not sacrificing prospects for a miniscule chance at simply being in the do-or-die wild-card game.

One problem is the team, the clubhouse. The Braves have played hard this year, so do they deserve to have veterans traded away and have the rug pulled out from under them? Do they want the front office to throw in the towel by trading as many veterans as possible, with a third of the season left to go?

Sure they don’t, but they too have to understand where this team is in the process. While it was (and is) great for the players to have the attitude that they want to win and be contenders, the big picture is still is the priority.

So, in a way, the philosophy should be, “The heck with 2017. Keep building for the future.” You just hope those who are left rally around playing hard the rest of the season, regardless who may be on the roster. They have all season under manager Brian Snitker, and there’s no reason to believe they won’t.

There has been so much progress this year that it already has been a success. We have started to see the fruits of the work done by the front office to get this team back on track. And it seems most fans want to see more glimpses of the future, to see more prospects in Atlanta instead of having them involved in trades.

Therefore, if the Braves can get good deals, they should trade Jim Johnson, Kurt Suzuki, Matt Adams and Brandon Phillips. Julio Teheran did nothing to help his value by pitching batting practice to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, and chances are the Braves could get more for Nick Markakis this winter.

This team is close, and the talent is bubbling up a little. While there is concern about Dansby Swanson, the reality is he would not be in Triple-A if not for the emergence of Johan Camargo. With Ozzie Albies and Rio Ruiz also in Triple-A, the Braves suddenly have a number of infield options to choose from. And if they trade Adams, we’ll likely see those young prospects play more in the last part of the season.

The pitching is getting closer. We already have seen Sean Newcomb, who should get 10 more valuable starts in Atlanta. We may see Lucas Sims get his chance this week. Sims is a former first-rounder who has made great improvements with his control this season in Triple-A.

And the pitching depth that was in Single-A a year ago is now mainly in Double-A and Triple-A now. So, it’s getting crowded with the young pitchers, which is only going to help the team figure out who is special enough to keep.

Sure, Oakland’s Sonny Gray is tempting, but at what cost? Since the Braves have come this far in their process, don’t they need to see it through by giving the young pitchers a shot first? Maybe who they already have are the ones who will pitch when the Braves really become contenders.

Last year, the Braves surprised us by making a deadline deal for Matt Kemp, a piece for now at little cost. That’s possible again, as the Braves may find a bullpen arm that makes sense. But there’s no reason to sacrifice the future, when the future is close to being here anyway.

This veteran team, built to win for a new stadium, needs to get younger before Monday’s deadline. This is all about the big picture, the future, and the trades made need to reflect the process is still going strong.

This story was originally published July 29, 2017 at 10:21 AM with the headline "Atlanta Braves’ plan should be clear heading to major league trade deadline."