Replacing Ronald Acuna Jr., who went down with a knee injury, was always going to be nearly difficult for the Atlanta Braves. It’s simply not possible to replace a man who had one of the best seasons in baseball history the previous year. When he is right, he is the most exciting player in baseball. Nevertheless, Jarred Kelenic, Michael Harris II, and Adam Duvall in an outfield alignment wasn’t a horrible way for the Braves to survive without Acuna Jr.
But since then, that plan has backfired. Although Kelenic has performed admirably, the Braves had to call up the surprisingly good Ramon Laureano after Harris suffered a hamstring ailment. The more significant problem has been Duvall’s play, as he has only produced a.170/.247/.298 line in 190 plate appearances this year, a shadow of his previous level.
Because of this, there have been persistent suggestions throughout the early trade deadline rumor mill that the Braves could pursue an outfield bat. ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently linked Atlanta to Lane Thomas, who has been a terrifying opponent for the Braves when facing the Nationals.
In a vacuum, it makes perfect sense for Atlanta to trade for Thomas. After recovering from a knee injury earlier in the season, Thomas has played considerably better. He was excellent in 2021 and 2023 but not so much in 2022. The Braves are also well aware of Thomas’s potential because, particularly in recent years, he has been a Braves killer at times during his career. It’s definitely a bonus that he will only be making about $5.5 million in 2024 and has an additional year of team control.
There are a couple issues with getting a trade done for Thomas, though. One, teams really don’t like trading within their division if they can avoid it. Thomas is likely going to be a popular name at the deadline and Atlanta may be forced to pay a division rival premium if they really want him versus what the Nationals might take from any number of others teams.
The other problem is that the Nationals are kinda good this year. While they aren’t likely to be a threat in the division race, they are only 2.5 games out of the NL wild card race right now and trading away one of their hottest hitters may be a tough sell. However, all-world outfield prospect James Wood is currently lurking in their farm system (while absolutely raking) and top draft pick Dylan Crews just got promoted to Triple-A as well. Moving Thomas could clear the way for Wood to make his debut and begin his quest for stardom.
The best bet is that the Braves make a more minor move for a bat (maybe a reunion with Eddie Rosario is in the cards if a deal with the Nationals is possible?) and add some pitching depth at the deadline while hoping that Michael Harris II comes back reasonably quickly. However, general manager Alex Anthopoulos is known for closing the deal at the trade deadline and a trade for Thomas certainly isn’t a bad idea assuming Washington is reasonable.
