Three Outfield Bats the Braves Should Target Before the Trade Deadline

The Braves' priority ahead of the trade deadline must be to add length to their lineup.

Brent Rooker of the Oakland Athletics bats against the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the seventh inning at the Oakland Coliseum.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - MAY 22: Brent Rooker #25 of the Oakland Athletics bats against the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the seventh inning on May 22, 2024 at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Braves (53-42) are good. They are not great (27-29 since May 15). Having won the NL East six straight times and a World Series crown in 2021, anything less than greatness is unacceptable to the fan base, as it should be to the front office.

The Braves went into the All-Star break 8.5 games behind the Phillies – the team that has knocked them out of the playoffs each of the last two years.

Interestingly enough, Atlanta has taken four of six games from Philly in head-to-head matchups this season. It’s been the Phillies’ dominance against pretty much all other opponents that has thrown the Braves into a hole. That, and the Braves’ utter lack of dominance, particularly in the hitting department.

Even with the early loss of Spencer Strider (UCL), the Braves starting rotation has been among the best in baseball, as evidenced by the All-Star selections of Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, and Max Fried. Closer Raisel Iglesias certainly had a case to be included in the mid-summer festivities, as he anchors a strong bullpen in Atlanta.

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All that said, GM Alex Anthopoulos might look to bolster the pitching staff with a veteran starter or reliever. An MLB club can never have enough pitching. However, the front office’s priority in the coming weeks must be to add length to the lineup.

A force like Ronald Acuña Jr. (ACL) is irreplaceable. However, going back to that 2021 World Series title, Anthopoulos was faced with the task of trying to remain competitive without Acuña, and he made it happen with multiple additions to the team.

Facing a similar situation this year, Anthopoulos must get creative again.   

Three Outfield Bats the Braves Should Target

Brent Rooker – Oakland Athletics

The Braves did recently bring a familiar face, 2021 NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario, back to town. He and Adam Duvall have been manning the corner outfield spots for the team, but Michael Harris II (hamstring) should return to the mix soon, placing Duvall and Rosario into a platoon.

Atlanta’s front office may well feel that the streaky bats of both Rosario and Duvall cannot be relied upon for enough consistent production. That’s where Rooker, who is topping his breakout from last year and was a total snub from a second consecutive All-Star invitation, comes in for the Braves.

The A’s and Braves have matched up on a couple of big trades in recent years. They could do so again with Rooker, who is boasting a .942 OPS with 21 homers, 18 doubles, and 62 RBI across 344 plate appearances this season.

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The A’s are headed in the right direction, building a core with several nice, young pieces. Is Rooker, in his age-29 season, more valuable to Oakland as a big bat in the middle of a lineup that is still multiple years away from contending, or is he more valuable as a major trade chip to acquire additional promising prospects?

If the A’s decide the latter, the Braves should make a strong push to acquire the slugger.

Rooker is not going to wow anyone with his defense in right or left field. He has played just over 100 innings in the outfield this season, seeing 69 of his 82 starts at DH.

The Braves already have Marcell Ozuna entrenched at DH, but with the offense Rooker brings, the team would likely be willing to live with his lackluster defensive abilities in the outfield. The prospect cost is going to be lofty though.

Randy Arozarena – Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have made the playoffs each of the last five years, but that streak is in jeopardy, as they are an even .500 (48-48) and 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League at the break.

The Tampa Bay front office has already made some moves this summer. More could be on the way soon.

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Arozarena’s name has been bounced around the rumor mill for a while now, and though he has had to work hard to get his batting average back above the Mendoza line following some early-season struggles, the dual-threat outfielder does appear to be on his way to a fourth-straight 20-20 season.

Across 149 plate appearances since the start of June, Arozarena has posted a .274/.389/.444 slash line with four deep drives, nine doubles, and seven steals. He has struck out just 18.1% of the time in that span while drawing walks at an 11.4% clip. His 42.9% HardHit% is encouraging as well.

Arozarena would fit into Atlanta’s outfield much like Rooker; the idea would be for him to replace a potential Duvall-Rosario platoon. And like trading for Rooker, acquiring Arozarena would also almost certainly require a notable prospect haul from the Braves.

Taylor Ward – Los Angeles Angels

The Angels are a team that will definitely be selling at the deadline, and, outside wild speculation and slim chances that they trade Mike Trout, Ward may be their best piece with which to acquire some solid prospects.

Ward has been mired in a slump this month, picking up just six hits (0 HR) over 46 at-bats in 12 games. However, he is a much better hitter than that and lacks much protection at all in the Angels’ batting order with Trout on the IL.

Over the first three months of the 2024 campaign, Ward recorded a .768 OPS with 14 home runs and 16 doubles in 341 plate appearances. He posted similar numbers over 97 games last year, swatting 14 round-trippers and 18 doubles across 409 plate appearances.

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The 30-year-old has a track record of injury issues to consider, but, in his career year of 2022, Ward finished with an .833 OPS and 23 homers in 135 games.

Is Ward enough of an improvement over Rosario and Duvall for Atlanta to give up talented prospects to add him? That is a question the Braves brass will want to closely analyze.

Ward is a capable left fielder with some pop in his bat and a keen eye at the plate. He is certainly a prime candidate to be moved by the deadline.

Kevin Pillar, who spent last season in Atlanta, is another Angels outfielder likely on the way out before the deadline.