Braves urged to trade for Reds $4.5 million All-Star after surprise demotion

It's been a disappointing season on many fronts for the Atlanta Braves, and the bullpen deserves its fair share of the blame.

All-Star closer Raisel Iglesias has not been up to par, and the rest of the bullpen behind him hasn't been any better. Atlanta's relievers own a 3.94 ERA, which ranks 15th in Major League Baseball, but their -0.1 combined fWAR ranks 27th.

It's always good to be on the lookout for more bullpen talent, especially when a group is struggling. But what sort of help might the Braves realistically be able to find?

According to one baseball writer, the Cincinnati Reds' latest high-profile roster decision could provide the answer.

On Sunday, FanSided's Chase Owens suggested that the Braves could trade for Reds 2023 All-Star reliever Alexis Díaz, who was demoted to Triple-A earlier this week after a shockingly bad start to the new season coming off a hamstring injury.

"Díaz certainly earned his demotion, with a terrible start to his 2025 season," Owens wrote. In six innings of work, Díaz has a 12.00 ERA, 14.22 FIP, and -0.5 bWAR.

"It's very plausible that he was slowly working his way into form before the poor results forced his hand and he began pressing. Anthopoulos would have to be stingy in who he would part with, but if the price is right... Díaz could be the perfect bounce-back candidate."

Díaz, 28, owned a 2.93 ERA in his first three seasons in the majors, though that number climbed with every passing season. He's making $4.5 million this year and has two remaining years of arbitration.

The Braves might not want a project at this point when they're struggling to get results at the major league level. Díaz could be a name to keep an eye on, however, if the two teams swap places in the standings between now and the trade deadline.

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