The Atlanta Braves are one of just a handful of teams in the National League with a record above .500.
While this is the case, they still have had some extremely bad luck recently. Atlanta lost superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. for the season and now needs to go back to the drawing board. The Braves still have plenty of firepower, but likely will be looking for a way to upgrade the outfield this summer at the trade deadline.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden took a look at each contender and put together a list of possible trade options to fill each club's biggest needs. He mentioned the outfield as a spot of need for the Braves and linked them to Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ.
"Position targets: fourth outfielder, possibly a starting pitcher," Bowden said. "OF: Tommy Pham, Eddie Rosario, Gavin Sheets, Jake McCarthy, Ian Happ, Heston Kjerstad, Jesús Sánchez, Jake Fraley, Michael Conforto, Randy Arozarena, Wenceel Pérez, (and) Mike Yastrzemski...
"Yes, the Braves lost the reigning (National League Most Valuable Player), Ronald Acuña Jr., and the preseason favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, Spencer Strider, to season-ending injuries. But that's not going to stop them from making the playoffs as a Wild Card team, though they need to improve their corner outfield depth and maybe add a back-of-the-rotation starter depending on how their young starters pitch over the next seven weeks."
Happ could be an intriguing option for the Braves. He has one All-Star nod and two Gold Glove Awards under his belt so far in his career. So far this season he has clubbed six home runs and has driven in 30 runs.
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