ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 24: Heston Kjerstad #13 of the Baltimore Orioles in the dugout during a MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 24, 2024 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
An emergency Braves-Reds trade for rotation stopgap after Reynaldo Lopez injury.
As if things couldn’t get any worse for the injury-riddled Atlanta Braves, Reynaldo Lopez left Sunday’s start with right forearm tightness. The Braves hope that the injury is minor, but forearm tightness can sometimes lead to something much worse.
This is an especially frustrating injury for the Braves not only because of how well Lopez has pitched this season, but because of all of the other injuries they’ve been dealing with. Forget the injuries to their position players (there are a lot). The Braves pitching staff has been decimated by injuries.
Spencer Strider is done for the season and has been since April. Max Fried is currently on the IL. Depth options such as Hurston Waldrep and Huascar Ynoa are on the shelf. Things are so bad to the point where Grant Holmes, a pitcher with ten MLB appearances and no starts under his belt, is starting Monday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Whether Lopez’s injury is minor or not, this Braves team needs to add depth. Spencer Schwellenbach’s emergence might allow them to avoid making a deal for a high-end starter, but adding depth of some capacity is a must. They can look to a team like the Cincinnati Reds to make a deal happen.
(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)
A Braves-Reds trade to give Atlanta much-needed starting pitching depth
Frankie Montas – Braves
One name for Atlanta to consider is Frankie Montas, a pitcher who is certainly available and would give them some much-needed depth. His 5.01 ERA in 19 appearances is far from enticing, but Montas’ ERA was at 4.23 when July began. He’s had a rough month which has included a disappointing outing against these Braves, but when right, Montas can be a solid innings eater which this Braves team could really use.
As disappointing as his season has looked on paper, Montas has allowed four runs or fewer in all but three of his starts. He does a decent job keeping his team in games, and if this Braves offense performs to its capabilities, he’d be a fine No. 5 starter. More importantly, since he’s a back-end starter on an expiring deal (no team will pick up his $20 million mutual option), Montas won’t cost a ton to bring aboard, allowing Atlanta to still dangle some of its top prospects for some outfield help.
In this deal, the Braves would receive cash that would cover most, if not all of the remaining money owed to Montas this season. In return, they give up a somewhat-appealing pitching prospect in the deal.
Luis De Avila, MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 prospect in Atlanta’s system, would be going back to Cincinnati. De Avila has had a solid year at the AA level, posting a 3.42 ERA in 18 starts and 97.1 innings of work. A promotion to AAA shouldn’t be too far away, and another promotion to the MLB level might not be far after that if he performs well.
De Avila is just one of many starting pitchers in a pitching-rich farm system, making him somewhat expendable. Getting a solid back-end starter for him with how expensive the pitching market is, especially with Cincinnati eating the money, makes it worth Atlanta’s while.
Whether it’s a Montas deal or another one, the Braves should not play on Wednesday without another starting pitcher in the mix.
