PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 22: Ian Happ #8 of the Chicago Cubs in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citizens Bank Park on July 22, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves made a good move at the end of the trade deadline but they still made some mistakes.
Heading into the final minutes of the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline, the Atlanta Braves looked like they wouldn’t have a good trade deadline. All they had done was trade for Nationals infielder Ehire Adrianza, Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman, and trade for Astros starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi. Both of them have had below-average seasons but the Braves were able to trade reliever Will Smith (who has also struggled) to Houston in return for Odorizzi.
A few minutes before the deadline, they traded for Angels closer Raisel Iglesias. He has been a good reliever for the last seven seasons in the majors and he is locked down for the next three seasons after this year. They had to trade reliever Jesse Chavez and pitching prospect Tucker Davidson back to the Angels in return.
It wasn’t an A+ or even an A deal but it was a decent deal.
Their best deal was actually extending their MVP candidate third baseman Austin Riley to a 10-year deal.
However, the Braves made three big mistakes at the trade deadline.
The Braves didn’t get another outfield/DH bat
The Braves did get Robbie Grossman but he has had an awful season at the plate. Grossman was hitting .205/.313/.282 with an OPS+ of 73 in 83 games. He has been a high on-base guy in the past, as he had a .354 OBP from 2017 through 2021 but those numbers this year are a bit troubling.
Adam Duvall is done for the year, Eddie Rosario has struggled, and Marcell Ozuna has been awful in the outfield and as a DH. He’s got a big contract. That’s about the only reason why he’s still playing.
Ideally, Rosario and Grossman would be on the bench, Ozuna would either be the left fielder or DH and the Braves would have traded for someone else to address the other position.
That could have been for Cubs All-Star outfielder Ian Happ, who wasn’t traded and isn’t a free agent until next offseason, Trey Mancini (who was traded to Houston), David Peralta (who was traded to the Rays), or others.
