The Atlanta Braves placed All-Star third baseman Austin Riley on the injured list this weekend, the latest blow for a team that has fallen well short of expectations this season. Sitting well below the .500 mark as the MLB trade deadline nears, Atlanta has informed buyers of its approach to being sellers this summer.
According to Fansided 's MLB reporter Robert Murray, the Braves will not listen to trade inquiries on any player on their roster who is under team control for multiple seasons. As a result, this gives them a very small pool of potential trade candidates in late July.
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It immediately rules out any hopes a rival club might have of acquiring Chris Sale , Ronald Acuña Jr , Sean Murphy or Daysbel Hernández. Instead, contending clubs will have to operate on a very short list of options and that pool in itself could be even more limited.
The most prominent players on the Braves roster who are on expiring contracts, per Spotrac , are Marcell Ozuna Raisel Iglesias and Rafael Montero . However, it's hard to see either of Atlanta's two relief pitchers having much trade value right now.
Montero, age 35, has been fairly effective (3.72 ERA and 1.21 WHIP) across 29 innings pitched for Atlanta. Opponents have posted a .189/.289/.274 triple-slash line against him this year, so he could be an effective middle reliever for a contender. Although acquiring teams might be wary about a veteran with a 4.94 ERA over the previous two seasons, there would likely be only a minimal return for the Braves.
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Iglesias, age 35, is no longer the All-Star caliber closer he used to be. The 6-foot-2 righty holds a 4.54 ERA this season, allowing a .789 OPS to opponents. Any team that acquired him would also be on the hook for just under half of his $16 million salary, with any trade return for him likely requiring Atlanta to send cash considerations to the team acquiring Iglesias.
As for Ozuna, who is playing through a hip injury, the 34-year-old designated hitter has a .676 OPS over his last 61 games and a .172/.260/.281 triple-slash line with just 3 home runs in 128 at-bats since June 1. With his trade value at an all-time low in a contract year, the Braves might have to keep him past the MLB trade deadline.
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