Braves trade deadline plan revealed with interesting pitching twist

The Atlanta Braves are in first place in the NL East, and they should be getting Ronald Acuna Jr. back soon to have an even better chance to keep their division lead.

This team is clearly a World Series contender, and it should be no surprise they're projected as trade deadline buyers. But what is their actual plan for the deadline?

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Braves' plan at the deadline is a little bit different than it might seem from the outside. There's a noteworthy twist: pitching is not the priority.

Braves trade deadline plan revealed to have an interesting pitcher twist

"Anthopolous, according to people briefed on his discussions, currently is more focused on his offense while weighing multiple internal options for his rotation," Rosenthal reports.

This is a very interesting dynamic for the Braves, as they've been one of the teams strongly linked to Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers as a potential blockbuster addition.

But, instead of landing Skubal, the Braves might be eyeing up additions to the offense. If they do add offense this summer by the August 3 trade deadline, there are three key spots worth upgrading.

Left field is a big need, with Mike Yastrzemski hurt and Jurickson Profar suspended for the whole season.

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Shortstop is a need as well, as Ha Seong-Kim has struggled, and their other options aren't that great either.

But the simpler area they could address is the designated hitter spot. Dominic Smith got off to a good start, but he's cooled off, and the Braves could use a better DH to round out the offense.

As Rosenthal notes, even with Acuna coming back soon, "But club officials have been frustrated with the team's inconsistent run production in recent weeks."

The Braves need better offense, and while they could use another ace to pair with Chris Sale, that's become more of an internal area than one the Braves could address at the deadline.

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