Red Sox could offer Braves multiple old friends at trade deadline

The trade deadline is approaching, and over the next few weeks, more conclusive reports about whether teams are buying or selling will appear. Over the last several weeks, I’ve covered the teams that will be open to trading just about everything on their roster. If you missed any of those pieces, follow the links below.

Now, we move to teams that may still be on the fence. A lot of these clubs probably should sell, but the expanded playoffs have provided hope to just about everyone, outside of a few organizations. However, the American League has a lot more teams above .500 than the National League, so some teams hovering around the .500 mark may be more inclined to punt on the season and look toward next year.

One of those clubs is the Boston Red Sox. Currently sitting at 39-35, the Red Sox are 2.0 games behind the Twins for the final Wild Card spot. They’ll put their best foot forward over the next six weeks, but this isn’t a club ready to compete for a World Series, and they have several players that could intrigue Alex Anthopoulos, including a couple of old friends.

Tyler O’Neill

After finishing eighth in the NL MVP race back in 2021, injuries have plagued Tyler O’Neill, which led to him being traded to the Red Sox during the winter, a move that’s worked out really well for Boston. O’Neill is a powerful right-handed bat that already has 14 homers in just 49 games to go along with an .888 OPS. If there’s one area the Braves must address ahead of the trade deadline, it’s the outfield. O’Neill will have no shortage of suitors if the Red Sox make him available, but given he’s on the last year of his deal, he shouldn’t cost too much in terms of prospect capital.

Nick Pivetta

Outside of outfielders, the Braves might look to upgrade the rotation at the trade deadline if none of their younger arms can establish themselves. I highly doubt Alex Anthopoulos will be targeting a frontline starter. The Braves don’t have the prospect capital to make a deal of that magnitude, but someone like Nick Pivetta makes a lot of sense, who is also amid the final year of his contract. He’s a guy with a lot of swing-and-miss in his arsenal and is comfortable as both a starter and reliever.

Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen

I mentioned the Red Sox do have a couple of old friends that could be on the trade block in a little over a month. The Braves don’t really need more relievers right now, but extra arms are never a bad thing, and who knows if another injury arises before the trade deadline.

Kenley Jansen has been rock solid for the Red Sox since signing with them in free agency after his brief one-year stint with the Braves. He currently sports a 2.70 ERA and 2.12 FIP on the season and will be a hot commodity if the Red Sox make him available. Chris Martin isn’t having his best year, boasting a 4.22 ERA over 21 appearances, but he’s a year removed from recording a 1.05 ERA over 55 appearances and finishing 12th in the AL Cy Young race.