Braves Trade Rumors: Atlanta Must Not Risk Future for Zack Greinke

The allure of Milwaukee Brewers ace Zack Greinke is going to force a team to go above and beyond what it normally would to obtain a star pitcher. The Atlanta Braves have the need for a starter and the resources to get a deal done, there is just no good reason to risk the future for the possibility of today. 

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Braves are one of four teams in the mix for Greinke as we approach the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. 

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Source says that teams most interested in #Brewers' Greinke are #Rangers, #Angels, #Braves, #WhiteSox. MORE

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 25, 2012"

That sounds like a nice plan, but as Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports, the cost to land Greinke is going to be great. 

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The interest is heavy in star right-hander Zack Greinke as the Brewers officially became sellers with their 0-6 road trip. However, the price tag is extremely high, interested teams said.

The Brewers are said to have a particular interest in a top young shortstop, and a source said they asked the Orioles about their extremely high-end prospect Manny Machado, a request that was rebuffed. With Greinke, Shaun Marcum and Randy Wolf all unlikely to be back with the Brewers next year, young pitching is also presumably a focus of Milwaukee's.

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The Braves have a young shortstop of their own, but Andrelton Simmons is on the disabled list and it would be hard to imagine the team wanting to part with him in a deal anyway. 

If it is arms the Brewers covet, the Braves have plenty of those to offer. Julio Teheran has the most upside of any starter in the system, though his results have been less than stellar because he is giving up far too many home runs and is still fine-tuning his command and breaking ball. 

Plus, there is Randall Delgado, the 22-year-old pitcher the Braves were reportedly going to send to Chicago for Ryan Dempster. Those are two quality arms who the Brewers would have under control for years. 

Therein lies the dilemma that teams are facing with Greinke. He is a nice piece to add to the puzzle, but you are only trading for two months of him. Then you have to worry about signing him when he hits free agency, with no guarantee that he would accept an offer. 

For a team like the Braves, who are right in the thick of the playoff race already, to give up one or two potential stars under team control for the next five or six years doesn't make sense. 

They are better off taking their chances on a lower-tier pitcher to make a run this year and keeping their most valuable assets for the future. 

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