Potential Trade Targets for the Atlanta Braves

In a recent blog by Mark Bowman, he profiles the moves the Braves could make.

He mentions that while the Braves could use some more power, the offense has shown it has enough punch to support the pitching staff.

So, that means the Braves are turning their eye towards a veteran reliever.

He mentions, by name, righties Danys Baez (31-years-old/34 games/46 IP/25 K/4.50 ERA) and Takashi Saito (39/33/31.2/29/3.41), and lefties Ron Mahay (38/32/32.2/31/4.13) and John Grabow (30/43/44.1/39/3.65).

The speculation is justified.

Peter Moylan is first in the NL with 53 appearances, Eric O'Flaherty is third with 50, and Mike Gonzalez is one shy of 50.

Having another reliever Cox can trust (more so than Manny Acosta and Kris Medlen) would be huge, as the dynamic quartet of EOF, Moylan, Gonzo, and Soriano would be allowed more rest.

Major League Baseball Trade Rumors (mlbtr) says the Braves may be interested in Troy Glaus.

I'm not sure how much I believe that rumor, as the Braves' infield is pretty much set.

He would have to be a reserve infielder or pinch-hit specialist, something (considering his abilities) he probably wouldn't be willing to do.

We all have a hunch who the Braves may be willing to trade, Jo-Puke Reyes, Kris Medlen, Kelly Johnson, Diory Hernandez, and Greg Norton, are a few that come to mind, but who do they have available with any real value?

Sure, there are always players down on the farm who are throw-ins (a lot of names that most of us have never even heard of), but how much would you be willing to throw in for a reliever?

With that in mind, I'll give you the view from my crystal ball.

The original Danys Baez experiment failed in Atlanta back in 2006.

Now, he's three years older and has numbers worse than what he had when the Braves shipped off Wilson Betemit to LA for him.

That makes this move unlikely, at least in my opinion.

Ron Mahay had an excellent half-season in Atlanta when he was shipped over in the Mark Teixeira deal, and, by all accounts, was well liked in the Atlanta clubhouse.

Still, even with his positive history with the Braves, his poor numbers the past two years in Kansas City tell me he's starting to show his age and, being a OLD lefty, would not fit well with O'Flaherty and Boone Logan proving to be effective in their roles as lefty-killers.

Takashi Saito, like Mahay, is too old.

Even though his numbers are OK, he is a major injury risk (just likle every other player the Red Sox signed this offseason) and could break down when used as "unsparingly" as Bobby likes to use his relievers.

The most likely fit (even though he is a lefty) of the names Bowman listed is John Grabow.

He's only thirty and has the best overall numbers out of any of these relievers.

His younger arm makes him a descent replacement if the Bravos loose Mike Gonzalez this offseason (and they better keep Soriano, but that's a different story).

So, that brings about the mystery of the asking price for Grabow.

The Pirates are shipping of veterans rapidly (see Nate McLouth and Adam LaRoche).

With deals for Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson on the horizon, would the Buccos be interested in Hernandez or Johnson?

The Pirates, like any rebuilding organization, would also want young pitching and have always seemingly had a crush on Brandon Jones (remember, he was in a package for Jason Bay before it was nixed by upper management).

So, this, in my opinion, would be a logical package: one of Brandon Jones, Kelly Johnson, or Diory Hernandez and Jo-Jo Reyes for Grabow.

Comparable reliever Rafael Betancourt (who is 34) was shipped from Cleveland to Colorado for a 23-year-old A-advanced pitcher, so two unneeded major league talents (if you can call what Jo-Jo has "talent") seems like a logical package for a younger left-handed reliever.

He would give the Braves more flexibility in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings when he could spell EOF, Moylan, and Gonzalez wile giving Cox (and Braves' fans) more peace of mind than Medlen or Acosta.