What once looked like one of the best rotations in baseball quickly became one of the weakest on paper outside of Sale.
The phrase “on paper” carries a lot of weight here because the actual results tell a different story. Through May, Atlanta’s rotation posted a 3.26 ERA, the fifth best mark in baseball. The group cooled off leading into the All-Star break but still owns the ninth best ERA at 3.95 as it sits today. While the results have been encouraging, many of the underlying metrics suggest the rotation has outperformed expectations.
Left field has followed a similar path.
For the second consecutive season, Atlanta lost its projected starting left fielder when Jurickson Profar received a PED suspension, this time for the entire season. Mike Yastrzemski was brought in to handle the strong side of a platoon against right-handed pitching, but he has not matched the offensive production he showed in previous years.
Against right-handed pitching, the Braves own a .750 OPS, the eighth best mark in baseball. Against left-handed pitching, however, that number falls to .700, which ranks 19th.
There may be an opportunity to address both weaknesses with one trade, and the Kansas City Royals could be the perfect partner. Our editor-in-chief, Ryan Finkelstein, proposed a deal that would send Michael Wacha and Lane Thomas to Atlanta in exchange for Hurston Waldrep, Alex Lodise, and Cody Miller.
Let’s break down why the Braves should, and should not, make that move.
The Case for the Trade
There is an easy case to be made for bringing both Wacha and Thomas to Atlanta. Let’s start with Lane Thomas.