Tony’s Take | Braves Transactions | Braves Banter | Braves Formula | Edition 106 

By Tony Duckworth, [email protected]

Braves Transactions.  Monday was the trade deadline for Major League Baseball.  Atlanta fans were expecting General Manager Alex A to add the right piece(s) to position the organization for its first World Series since 2021. 

I’m sure if I could go back to 2021, Braves Nation would have been complaining as much as I have been reading and listening to this week.  

As I have been writing, the Braves cannot make a deep run into October without adding to their starting pitching.  In a perfect world, AA would have been able to land a bona fide #2 behind future Hall of Famer Chris Sale.  Listening to the talking heads, the consistent theme is the Braves added depth to the roster, but they didn’t make a splash. 

Braves beat writer, Mark Bowman, summed up the trade deadline on X.  “The Braves had the Profar money and more prospect capital than they’ve had as a contender in a long time. They’ve had an obvious need to bolster the rotation since November. Thought for sure this was the year they would make a big splash. But instead, they’ve left plenty of room to second-guess.” 

Yes, Mark, Braves GM Alex A is getting hammered on social media and by the talking heads and you make a great point. 

As much as I would have loved to have seen a major arm upgrade, I’m hoping we get to see a healthy Sale in the postseason.  Sale has not pitched an inning in the playoffs since joining the ATL.  Without Sale, the Braves will be on vacation after their opening series. Beyond the bullpen staying dominant and the new arms exceeding expectations, the other wildcard is whether Spencer Schwellenbach’s current rehab bullpen sessions translate to success in October when he is projected to return in September. 

Spencer had success during his 38 starts for the Braves.  Schwellenbach’s record is 15 – 11 in 233 innings | approximately a 3.20 ERA | allowed 27 HR’s | 39 base on balls. 

Spencer would be the first ever to miss most of the season and have post-season success. Sale missed three months with the 2018 Red Sox and provided three crucial starts during the World Series.  I’m certain Spencer and Sale will discuss this should Schwellenbach get a nod in the playoffs. 

Braves GM AA had to balance making moves to improve the roster while protecting current assets.  The current Braves MVP is the bullpen. Albies, Acuna, Baldwin, Harris, and potential MVP Olson have positioned the squad with an 8-game lead in the division and 22 games over .500 to date. 

The new arms and others on the roster have an opportunity to elevate their performance to help the Braves make a deep run into October.  While it would be nice if all improve, it only takes one or two to rise to the occasion and turn it over to the best bullpen in MLB. 

Banter.  More from Bowman.  “How are you feeling this morning? Too soon? A benefit of a Trade Deadline is the opportunity to energize your fans and players. Safe to say this was a missed opportunity for the Braves.” | “Bringing back Kim on a day where your getting crushed for other stuff is kind of like a Friday news dump.” 

Nick Cellini of 680 the Fan. “But they can spend 20 million on a bust of a SS, 9 million on a bust reliever, 15 million on a catcher who can’t stay healthy, 20 million on a mustached starter whose arm fell off again, 22 million on a 3B who’s lost, and 15 million (in 27) on a junkie of an outfielder.” 

Formula.  I understand Braves Nation frustration for not landing a #2 pitcher to anchor the starting arms behind Sale.  I will provide my formula for post-season success for the Braves if they stand a chance to make a run in October. 

On paper, everyone is playing for 2nd behind the Dodgers.  Man o man, what a roster in So Cal.  That being said, that’s why you play the games, and the Braves downed 106-win LA in the NLCS to go on to take down the Astros to win the 2021 World Series. 

This version of the Braves has a razor-thin margin to make noise in the postseason.  Several givens are a MUST for this roster.  The Braves must be healthy heading into the playoffs.  The ATL have minimal chance if Sale and Acuna are absent from the lineup in October. 

For all the talk about starting pitchers, the starters who are on the bump behind Sale must be solid, not great, for 4 and ideally 5 innings.  The bullpen must be dominant in likely high-leverage situations.  Closer Iglesias must be flawless.   

Offensively, Albies, Acuna, Baldwin, Harris, and Olson must be good to great while hitting homers along the way.  Riley, the SS, and LF must be above the Mendoza Line (.200).  The Braves must have productive outs and timely hitting while being efficient with runners in scoring position. 

Defensively, the Braves need to be error-free and turn double plays when presented.    

The above seems like I am portraying perfect baseball.  I am not, but the Braves need to be their best in every inning to make Braves Nation forget the 2026 trade deadline.    

Tony Duckworth is a native of Macon and is the President and CEO of the Albany Area YMCA. Tony worked in intercollegiate athletics for thirty-one years. He was an NCAA Division II Director of Athletics at three universities following ten years as a head men’s basketball coach at two colleges. Email Tony Duckworth at [email protected].