At the 2022 MLB trade deadline the reigning World Series Champion Atlanta Braves made a series of quality additions to their rotation. With the onboarding of Robbie Grossman, Ehire Adrianza, Jake Odorizzi, and Raisel Iglesias the Braves hope to run it back and stay on the winning path.
As they continue to fight on and inch closer towards a return to the postseason, the Braves certainly have a lot going for them. Having said all this, there’s still one more move they could have made to bolster their chances of a championship repeat. Let’s now discuss the one more player the Braves could have traded for prior to this year’s 2022 MLB trade deadline.
Brave MLB Trade Deadline Miss
Trade for Brandon Drury
He’s been one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 MLB season with hitting averages of .271/.330/.517 for a 125 OPS+ and Brandon Drury would’ve been an absolute steal for the Braves. Plus with Drury on a one-year deal, this would’ve been a low cost move for Atlanta to make. With 23 home runs, 42 doubles, and 95 RBI in 136 games, Drury’s had a highly productive season and would’ve done wonders in the Braves’ rotation. His elite play would’ve added some additional firepower to their offense and allowed them to get more runs on the board.
Currently playing for a Cincinnati Reds team that’s out of contention and not in the playoff mix this year, Drury would’ve been better off playing for a championship organization like the Atlanta Braves. Plus with Ozzie Albies still out injured with a fractured left foot, Drury could’ve provided them with some versatility at an absolute bargain – even if he only ended up being a two-month rental.
Add Jose Quintana
Another key area the Braves should’ve addressed at the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline was pitching depth. One player that would’ve helped them out a ton in this department was Jose Quintana. This crafty left-hander could’ve been an ideal fit at the back end of Atlanta’s pitching rotation.
Quintana would’ve been a quality relief pitcher for the Braves who could’ve played quality innings for them in the midst of their playoff push. Quintana has posted a 3.70 ERA and a 3.26 FIP on the year. He’s also had a few shutout innings this season which is something that the Braves would have benefitted from greatly.
All-in-all, the Atlanta Braves did make some solid additions at this year’s trade deadline. However, they could have been in a stronger position to make a championship repeat with either of these two players on the roster. With the postseason fast approaching and the Braves looking to make another big splash in 2022, positional depth and consistency will be key for them.
These are two key targets that they definitely let slip by and would have been sneaky good acquisitions for them to make ahead of the playoffs. As they currently trail the New York Mets by six games while holding second place in the NL East, they’ll certainly have a tougher road ahead of them.
Whether or not they’ll be able to pull of another World Series win is still up in the air, but there’s no denying that their chances of achieving this would have been higher had they pursued Brandon Drury or Jose Quintana more aggressively in trade negotiations with the Cincinnati Reds or Pittsburgh Pirates who are both players that are on short-term deals with non-contending teams.
