The Atlanta Braves will be a team to watch as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal believes the Braves could target a starting pitcher as well as a reliever this summer.
With Major League Baseball’s ERA-leader Brandon Beachy hitting the disabled list and undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery, Rosenthal believes the Braves could be in the market for a starter. Atlanta could use an upgrade to the back-end of their rotation, as it currently consists of Mike Minor (6.14 ERA) and Jair Jurrjens (6.75 ERA), though Jurrjens was impressive in his most recent start.
Rosenthal adds that several Braves veterans thought the team needed relief help last season at this time, and the bullpen was performing better than this year’s group. Late-inning reliever Jonny Venters has been inconsistent this season (1.765 WHIP) and Rosenthal notes that Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has leaned heavily on Venters, Eric O’Flaherty and Craig Kimbrel.