The Atlanta Braves could look to make another move or two this offseason. They were one of the top-ranked teams in the league coming into last season, but they fell short of expectations and missed the postseason completely.
As a result, it’s hard to imagine they go into this season without making at least one more big move.
Just Baseball’s Taylor Greenhut predicted the Braves would acquire Mitch Keller from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a deal that would send star catcher Sean Murphy to Pittsburgh.
“With the emergence of Rookie of the Year catcher Drake Baldwin, Sean Murphy has become more expendable than he was a year ago,” Greenhut wrote. “While Atlanta would need to address backup catcher depth, the return would be a highly sought after durable starting pitcher.
“Mitch Keller owns a 4.51 career ERA and a 1.38 WHIP over seven seasons in Pittsburgh. However, his FIP has been lower than his ERA in each of the past five seasons, suggesting he has suffered from poor luck. Like the other pitchers discussed, Keller has made at least 30 starts in four straight years.”
One-for-one trades are hard to come by, but this idea makes plenty of sense.
The Braves have been vocal about using their talented catching duo of Murphy and Drake Baldwin in the lineup together, but they could still trade Murphy for a star pitcher. Cutting ties with Murphy would free up Baldwin to take over catching duties for years to come, but in this instance, it would also bring a star pitcher to Atlanta.
For the Pirates, this deal would bring some more pop to their lineup. Adding Murphy would be a big step in the right direction, as the pitching staff in Pittsburgh is loaded with talent.
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