Ex-MLB GM wishes Braves had traded 22-year-old RHP prospect for Orioles' All-Star lefty

The Atlanta Braves made a few notable moves at the MLB trade deadline, but notably, did not go out and land a new top-tier starting pitcher.

Despite being a team linked to Tarik Skubal and other top-tier starters, the Braves only wound up adding Tyler Mahle at the deadline. They could've pursued other top options, but they stood pat with their current crop of starters.

Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic wishes the Braves had made one specific trade at the deadline. This deal would have Atlanta giving up 22-year-old pitching prospect Owen Murphy for Baltimore Orioles' starter All-Star Trevor Rogers.

Braves wished by ex-MLB GM to have traded for Trevor Rogers from Orioles

"The trade I wished we'd seen: The Braves get LHP Trevor Rogers and the Orioles get RHP Owen Murphy," Bowden writes.

This is a bold trade idea proposed by Bowden, and it's the one deal he wished had happened at this year's deadline. But would this have even made sense?

From the Orioles' perspective, as good as Rogers has been at times, he has a 4.20 ERA this season and will hit free agency following 2026. As they sold Adley Rutschman and Taylor Ward, among others, it would've made sense to trade Rogers.

For the Braves, strictly looking at what Rogers could've brought to the club, he had a 1.81 ERA in 17 starts last season, and while he's had a bit of an up-and-down 2026 season for the Orioles, he'd be a nice complement to Sale in the rotation.

The issue, however, is what it'd cost to get the 28-year-old rental starter. Murphy is a 22-year-old right-handed pitching prospect who is one of the Braves' best prospects in the farm system.

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He's made his MLB debut, going 6.2 innings in three outings, posting a 4.05 ERA. Not the best start, but nothing to be concerned about for the Braves.

Down in the minors this season, he has a 4.12 ERA in 19 starts across 92 innings with 107 strikeouts. He's been much better at Triple-A than Double-A, posting a 3.56 ERA in 73.1 innings of work in 14 starts.

Trading Murphy for a rental in Rogers would be very risky. As much as Bowden wishes he'd seen that trade happen, it's probably a good thing that the Braves didn't make such a deal.

Sure, it'd be nice to have Rogers in their rotation, but giving up Murphy for a rental starter who's not been as dominant this season as some of the other rental starters like Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, or even Clay Holmes would be too big a risk to take.

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