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13 hours ago
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Tuesday night's defeat was the epitome of why the Atlanta Braves are expected to be trade deadline sellers.
With a chance to win a series against the reeling San Francisco Giants, the Braves no-showed. A 9-0 loss dropped them to 44-56, a full 10 1/2 games out of the Wild Card hunt.
Even worse, the Braves don't have a whole lot to sell. Marcell Ozuna's value is tanking by the day, Raisel Iglesias has been bad all season, and it's hard to imagine a contender taking much of a stab at Ozzie Albies.
So as crazy as it might sound, is the Braves' best trade asset somehow... curveball specialist Pierce Johnson?
CBS Sports' Mike Axisa predicted on Wednesday that the Braves would ship Johnson to the first-place Toronto Blue Jays for a "meaningful return" ahead of the Jul. 31 trade deadline.
"The bullpen injuries are beginning to pile up for the AL East-leading Blue Jays," Axisa wrote. "Johnson fits Toronto's late-inning mold as a spin rate monster (he throws his curveball 70% of the time), and is a player who could bring back a meaningful return for the disappointing Braves.
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"There is no such thing as too many good relievers in October. Even if García and Sandlin return soon (Burr is done for 2025), there's plenty of room for a reliever like Johnson in the Blue Jays' bullpen."
The 34-year-old Johnson owns a 2.70 ERA in 36 2/3 innings this year, striking out 39 and allowing only 30 hits. He's extremely tough on righties and gets hit hard by lefties, so he'd be a valuable option in a high-leverage scenario against a pocket of tough righty bats.
Because he signed a $14.25 million deal that includes a $7M club option for next season, the Braves can keep Johnson if they think he's going to factor into their 2026 pennant push. But they'd be fools not to trade him if someone like Toronto wants to toss them a top-10 organizational prospect.
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