The Atlanta Braves had a nightmare of a start to the 2025 Major League Baseball season but have turned things around and are starting to show glimpses of the team many thought they would be in 2025.
Atlanta lost on Tuesday to drop its record to 24-24 on the season, but this is a team that was one of the worst teams in baseball over the first few weeks of the season and have looked like a completely different team since. The Braves got a reinforcement back on Tuesday in Spencer Strider and there’s more talent on the way back to the organization.
If they keep playing the way they have lately, there could be another playoff appearance on the way. It wouldn’t be too shocking to see the Braves look to add some more talent this summer around the trade deadline and Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller called right-handed pitcher JR Ritchie the team’s “most likely” trade candidate.
“As with Arizona, Atlanta as a seller could get pretty wild,” Miller said. “Marcell Ozuna alone would likely fetch one of the biggest returns for a two-month rental in recent years, plus they have relievers Raisel Iglesias and Rafael Montero on expiring deals. But with Spencer Strider making his return Tuesday night and Ronald Acuña Jr. not far behind him, we’re still inclined to believe the Braves will find their way back into the postseason conversation in spite of their disappointing first few weeks. They don’t have a ton of top prospect capital, but they sure could garner some interest by dangling JR Ritchie’s name out there.
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“The 35th overall pick in the 2022 draft missed almost all of 2023 and a huge chunk of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, but he had a 2.90 ERA in 49.2 IP last year and was masterful for seven starts at High-A Rome this season, posting a 1.30 ERA and 0.79 WHIP before moving up to Double-A. Atlanta has so many pitchers in its farm system, though, that it could afford to part with maybe the hottest one, if that’s what it takes to not squander this season.”
It’s going to be an interesting few months in Atlanta, for sure.
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