Atlanta Had A Disappointingly Quiet Trade Deadline

The 2025 MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and it was an eventful one. We saw Mason Miller, with four years of team control remaining, shipped from the Athletics to San Diego in a blockbuster that netted the A’s Just Baseball’s No. 7 overall prospect, Leo De Vris. The Mets and Yankees engaged in an all-out arms race, beefing up their bullpens for October. Both Eugenio Suárez and Carlos Correa returned to former teams in exciting deadline deals.

But down in Atlanta, things were underwhelming to say the least.

Entering Thursday’s deadline, the Braves were 45-62, 16 games out of the division and 14 games back of the final wild-card spot. The writing was on the wall. With the 2025 season all but lost, many expected Atlanta to sell off a few veterans and expiring contracts to help retool for next year.

The Good

To their credit, the Braves did make a few moves.

Rafael Montero, acquired earlier this season, was flipped to the Tigers for minor league infielder Jim Jarvis. Jarvis, a 24-year old utility player, has posted a .652 OPS, a 10% strikeout rate, and has logged innings at second, third, and short. He profiles as solid organizational depth, nothing flashy, but getting anything for Montero is a win.

The Braves also made a few low-cost additions, bringing in veteran starters Erick Fedde and Carlos Carrasco, seemingly just to eat innings over the final two months.

Finally, the Braves added right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley from Colorado. While Kinley’s surface stats aren’t eye-catching (5.55 ERA, 1.48 WHIP), his underlying numbers are intriguing. Pitching half his games in Coors Field doesn’t help his cause, but in 2025, he ranks in the 85th percentile in both chase and whiff rates, the 95th percentile in average exit velocity, and the 97th percentile in hard-hit rate.

With a $5 million club option for 2026, Kinley could turn into a solid bullpen piece if he finishes strong. This, however, would be the biggest piece of the deadline.

The Bad

Most assumed Marcell Ozuna would be traded by this year’s trade deadline. Since arriving in Atlanta, Ozuna has slashed .267/.336/.471 with an .807 OPS, consistently ranking among the league’s top designated hitters.

But this year, following a tweaking his hip in late-April, he’s looked like a shell of himself. He’s slashing just .217/.337/.369 with an OPS of .706, can’t run, and doesn’t play in the field.

Complicating matters even more, Ozuna holds 10-and-5 rights (10 years of MLB service, 5 consecutive with their current team), giving him the right to veto any trade. It was reported he was open to waiving those rights for a contender, but according to Alex Anthopoulos, no deal got far enough to even approach him.

Sure, the market for rental bats wasn’t exactly hot, as Eugenio Suárez’s modest return is proof of that. However, getting something in exchange would’ve helped. Instead, Atlanta will watch Ozuna walk for nothing this winter.

As the 6 pm deadline approached, fans started to question what exactly the front office was doing. In a seller’s market, relievers were flying off the board for real returns and Atlanta had a few that made sense to move.

Dylan Lee, while unlikely to be dealt, had real value. With three years of control left and a career 2.73 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, he should be a staple in the Braves bullpen moving forward. No, he wasn’t going to fetch a Mason Miller or Johan Duran-like haul, but a cost-controlled lefty reliever definitely drew interest. I would’ve loved to see if anyone came close to meeting the asking price.

Pierce Johnson and Aaron Bummer were two others who felt on the bubble. Johnson (2.45 ERA 0.992 WHIP) and Bummer (4% hard-hit rate, 55.2% ground-ball rate) both carry team options for 2026 at $7 million and $9.5 million, respectively.

Anthopoulos made it clear that anyone under control through next season wouldn’t be moved. That logic is understandable, especially if the front office believes the 2026 Braves will contend. I share that same sentiment.

The Ugly

Where I take real issue is with how the Braves handled the Raisel Iglesias situation.

After a rocky start to the year, Iglesias settled in by posting a 3.63 ERA and 2.29 FIP and allowing just nine runs since June began. At 35-years old, he’s not the flashiest name on the market, but the résumé speaks for itself. Iglesias is fifth among active players in career saves.

In a market where bullpen arms were a premium, it’s hard to believe no contender had any interest, even at the cheapest of cost. Iglesias is a rental. The Braves aren’t re-signing him. Why not get something, clear a little money, and create space for younger arms to get MLB reps? The failure to move him feels like a real organizational misstep.

I’ve defended, or at least understood, many of Anthopoulos’ less-popular decisions in the past. This one? I can’t.

Anthopoulos Speaks

As he always does, Alex Anthopoulos addressed the media shortly after the deadline. The main topic? The Braves lack of trading away expiring assets.

“If we were going to move any player, we were going to have to get something back that we liked,” he said. “When it comes to trades, if we thought there was a trade where we were getting something of value back that we liked, we would’ve made a trade. Unfortunately, that didn’t present itself.”

That’s not what fans wanted to hear, but it’s consistent with Anthopoulos’ longstanding philosophy.

“We weren’t just going to give players away. Move guys just to move them or just to dump salary.”

He’s likely right that Ozuna’s market was minimal. But Iglesias? That’s harder to believe.

One quote especially stood out to me: “I viewed it as our offseason started now. That’s really the approach we took. We had a lot of discussions,” Anthopoulos said.

On local radio 680 The Fan the next day, he added that the team used the deadline to gather intel on pending free agents and potential trade targets for the winter: “We have an idea from the trade deadline already which trams might talk about players during the winter.”

It was a slightly defensive tone from Anthopoulos as reporters didn’t hold back. He reiterated again and again that no offers of substance came for expiring contracts, and that anyone with team control through 2026 would be part of their future.

If all that’s true, then fine. But then the pressure is on. This front office must deliver this winter.

What Now?

In all honestly, there’s not much left to play for in 2025.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is on the IL, joining a growing list of Spencer Schwellenbach, Chris Sale, Grant Holmes, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Reynaldo López. The playoffs are out of reach.

But there are a few silver linings to follow.

Drake Baldwin is currently fighting to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. If he takes home the award, it would shine light on Atlanta’s developmental system and Baldwin’s hard work. The Braves would also receive a bonus first-round pick as part of MLB’s Prospect Promotion Incentive program. That, combined with their current 20% chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick in 2026, could inject real life into a depleted farm system.

Michael Harris II has also had a resurgence. After hitting just .210 with a .551 OPS before the All-Star break, he has caught fire. In his 13 games after the break, he’s slashing .385/.418/.712 with a 1.130 OPS and 213 wRC+. A slight tweak to his stance has seemingly reignited his swing, and a strong finish would be a huge boost heading into 2026.

After resetting the CBT, expectations are that the Braves will be active players this winter. And frankly, they have to be. This upcoming offseason will be critical for the future of the organization.

The 2024 season was injury-riddled, yet still ended with 89 wins and a playoff berth. This year has been a disaster. Now more than ever the fan base, and clubhouse, need a spark.

Alex Anthopoulos can’t afford to sit on his hands again. Upgrades are needed. A splash must happen. And more than anything, we need to see the Atlanta Braves take on a positive direction heading into 2026.