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Braves' Updated Trade Targets with 2024 MLB Deadline Approaching

Joel Reuter

With an 8-3 record over their last 11 games entering play on Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves are once again playing like a top-tier team while still trying to navigate a number of key injuries up and down the roster.

The starting rotation looked like the biggest area of need after Spencer Strider was lost for the year, but Spencer Schwellenbach has staked claim to the No. 5 starter job.

Meanwhile, with Ronald Acuña Jr. lost for the year to a torn ACL and Michael Harris II sidelined with a strained hamstring, finding another bat in the outfield has now moved to the top of the to-do list.

Ahead we've highlighted three potential targets that could serve as an upgrade over the likes of Adam Duvall, Forrest Wall and Ramón Laureano.

OF Miguel Andújar, Oakland Athletics

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Once upon a time, Miguel Andújar was a rising star for the New York Yankees, finishing runner-up to Shohei Ohtani in the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year balloting.

In the five years that followed his stellar debut, he played just 144 games in the big leagues, hitting .234/.265/.351 for a 69 OPS+ in 506 plate appearances, and the Oakland Athletics claimed him off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates during the offseason.

The 29-year-old has resurrected his career this season, hitting .321/.347/.420 for a 125 OPS+ with five doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI in 118 plate appearances.

With club control through 2025 and an extremely team friendly $1.7 million salary, he could be a nice under-the-radar pickup to provide some punch at a corner outfield spot.

OF Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays

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The Tampa Bay Rays will be motivated to deal Randy Arozarena at some point in the near future as his $8.1 million salary makes him the third-highest paid player on the roster of a team that is in a perpetual payroll crunch.

Arozarena, 29, has recorded three straight 20/20 seasons, winning 2021 AL Rookie of the Year and earning a starting nod in the All-Star Game last year.

He is hitting just .191/.304/.348 for an 88 OPS+ to start the year, but he has 12 doubles, 10 home runs and 10 steals to go along with strong batted-ball metrics.

His strong track record of production and remaining club control through 2026 means he won't come cheap, but he would give the Braves a dynamic power-speed player to help ease the loss of Acuña.

OF Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels

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Taylor Ward broke out during the 2022 season, but took a step backward last year before suffering facial fractures on a hit-by-pitch to miss the final two months of the season.

He has returned strong this year, hitting .245/.328/.446 for a 116 OPS+ with 14 doubles, 14 home runs and 41 RBI as one of the few offensive standouts on a disappointing Los Angeles Angels team.

The 30-year-old is controllable through the 2026 season, so there is no rush to trade him, but he could take over as the everyday right fielder this season before shifting to left field next year and pushing Jarred Kelenic into a fourth outfielder role.

   

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