Atlanta Braves rumors: Team in on top pitcher on MLB trade block

It doesn’t appear that front office head Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves are letting their injury-plagued ways impact them ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline.

Atlanta entered MLB games today with a 56-48 record and firmly in the National League Playofff race despite these injuries.

Anthopoulos and Co. have been linked to some big names with the trade deadline less than 24 hours away. It’s somewhat surprising given that both ace starter Spencer Strider and star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. are lost for the season.

We now have another update on the Braves’ trade deadline plans with the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reporting that Atlanta is in the sweepstakes for Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

“Braves are among teams considering White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. Makes sense for them if they can muster decent return,” Heyman reported . “They have multiple injury losses/concerns at the top of their rotation and Crochet salary ($800K) is very reasonable.”

Related: Prominent MLB insider links Atlanta Braves to pursuit of 4-time All-Star to replace Ronald Acuna Jr.

Atlanta Braves could use starting pitcher upgrade ahead of MLB trade deadline

As noted above, Strider is lost for the season due to an elbow injury. Max Fried is set to return from his stint on the injured list. Meanwhile, Chris Sale (13-3 record, 2.68 ERA) and Reynaldo López (7-4 record, 2.06 ERA) headlines things for Atlanta.

Outside of that, the starting rotation has been up and down. Charlie Morton (4.16 ERA) and Spencer Schwellenbach (4.06 ERA) have been inconsistent.

Acquiring Crochet from the last-place White Sox would help round out this rotation for the stretch run. The 25-year-old lefty is pitching to a 3.23 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while striking out 160 batters in 114.1 innings this season.

Crochet is also under team control through the 2026 season, meaning that acquiring him wouldn’t come cheap. But he’d be a long-term option for Atlanta.

More must-reads:

• Atlanta Braves news: Team acquires All-Star outfielder in blockbuster trade
• San Francisco Giants likely to be sellers ahead of MLB trade deadline: 3 veterans who could be moved
• Los Angeles Dodgers acquire infielder ahead of MLB trade deadline