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The Atlanta Braves certainly didn't anticipate having a bullpen problem this season, especially not to this degree.
Braves relievers have just 1.1 fWAR, which puts them 22nd in Major League Baseball. They're just 12-for-24 in save opportunities, and closer Raisel Iglesias owns a 5.46 ERA (9-for-13 in save opportunities).
Could the Braves save their bullpen with a blockbuster trade? One baseball writer wants them to at least look into the possibility.
On Sunday, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller suggested a hypothetical trade that would bring Athletics All-Star closer Mason Miller to Atlanta, where he'd be under team control for the next 4 1/2 years.
In return, Miller proposed that the Braves could ship right-handed pitching prospects Drue Hackenberg, Lucas Braun, and Rolddy Muñoz to the A's.
"Raisel Iglesias is in the final year of his contract, and not pitching well at all. Atlanta has continued using him in high-leverage situations, though, largely due to the lack of serviceable Plans B," Miller wrote.
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"Miller would be both a short-term replacement and ideally a long-term solution for a team that still views itself as a 2025 contender and that otherwise needs to address its closer situation this winter, anyway."
Miller, 26, hasn't had a great season either, with a 4.85 ERA in 29 2/3 innings. But his strikeout numbers are eye-popping (49), and his 3.16 FIP shows some positive regression is in order.
Unfortunately, the A's were reluctant to trade Miller all winter, and might be again at the trade deadline. From a value perspective, it's almost a no-brainer to trade a closer if a team wants to send you blue-chip prospects, but the A's also don't have many other marketable faces.
More MLB: Phillies blockbuster trade pitch lands Twins' Byron Buxton in 3-player swap
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