The Atlanta Braves are no strangers to causing chaos at the Major League Baseball trade deadline.
In 2021, general manager Alex Anthopoulos rebuilt his entire outfield on the fly, turning a .500 ballclub into a World Series champion. With the Braves suffering a rash of early-season injuries in 2024, the baseball world is wondering whether Anthopoulos will repeat the feat.
In 2024, Atlanta appears to have potential needs in the outfield and the starting rotation. Injuries to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider have left the Braves short-staffed, part of the reason the team currently trails the rival Philadelphia Phillies by seven games in the National League East.
Luckily, at this time of the season, teams are starting to fall out of the playoff picture, which means more talent is becoming available via trade. And one of those teams, the Detroit Tigers, has everything the Braves could be looking for.
In an article suggesting eight "outrageous" deadline trades, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller proposed the Braves acquire starting pitcher Jack Flaherty and outfielder Mark Canha from the Tigers in exchange for Atlanta's No. 2 prospect, starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep.
On paper, Flaherty and Canha are excellent gets for the Braves. Flaherty has 115 strikeouts and a 3.24 ERA through 89 innings, while Canha is struggling to hit for power in Comerica Park, but still posting an above-average .342 on-base percentage.
The issue at hand becomes whether Detroit is willing to accept a one-prospect package for two major league players, albeit two impending free agents.
Waldrep, who is currently on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation, struggled in his first two major league starts this month, allowing 13 earned runs in just seven innings. But the righty is 22, has an electric fastball, and struck out 100 batters in just 84.1 minor league innings.
With five weeks until the trade deadline, nothing is set in stone. But a two-for-one deal like this one might well be the shot in the arm the Braves need to get back in the division race. And, true to the goal of Miller's article, this deal certainly would shake up the trade deadline as a whole.
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