Traded to the Giants for a Hail Mary addition of Cy Young candidate by the Braves.
Due to the season-ending elbow injury suffered by their ace, Spencer Strider, the Atlanta Braves have a significant vacancy in their starting rotation. Bryce Elder and Darius Vines were their attempts to cover the void, but both were very difficult to work with.
They attempted to fill the void with their best prospect, AJ Smith-Shawver, but he was injured in his first start. Then, Atlanta attempted to deploy Spencer Schwellenbach, their third-ranked prospect, but he was too frequently struck. Hurston Waldrep, their No. 2 prospect, was brought up on Sunday, but even he struggled, giving up seven earned runs.
Obviously, Atlanta needs to go to the trade market to fix their problem and if they have the patience, they could wait for former Cy Young, Robbie Ray, to make his return from Tommy John surgery.
A long-shot Braves-Giants transaction that, if Robbie Ray stays healthy, fixes Atlanta’s pitching shortage
After undergoing Tommy John surgery more than a year ago, Robbie Ray is now gradually stepping up his comeback. According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, Ray should be back around the All-Star break.
Ray is attached to a massive contract with over $50 million still left to pay the injured lefty. This massive contract could lead the Giants to be willing to trade him upon his return if the Braves are willing to eat a good chunk of the contract. San Fransisco would likely still have to send money over in a deal, just to eat a chunk of what he’s owed.
Because of his current situation in Atlanta, Vines is unlikely to have another opportunity to start for a major league team unless a miracle occurs. In the hierarchy, he is below the aforementioned prospects Elder, Schwellenbach, Smith-Shawver, and Waldrep. He’s already 26 years old, thus he needs a new beginning in a different place.
Kuehler is a high-potential righty with a hard fastball and a sharp slider to pair with it. He’s got all the tools to be a future big leaguer, but he hasn’t pitched past Single-A, so it’s really hard to judge him completely yet. He could begin working his way up the minors shortly.
But the Braves need to be willing to take this risk on Ray’s salary. If he returns from the injury as good as he was before, the Braves get themselves a steal. That’s a big “if” on the table, but it’s one the Braves need to take a chance on to close the gap in the NL East.
