Shift: The Braves are on the Verge of completing a Major Offseason Trade for a Top-tier Outfielder.

This offseason will be hectic in Boston. The Red Sox have already been connected to several top-tier starters, but no deal has been completed as of yet. Boston’s new chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, will want to leave his stamp on the club.

Outfielder Alex Verdugo is the Red Sox player with the most questions this offseason. He was signed by Boston prior to the 2020 season and has been with the team ever since. He appeared to be a future piece of Boston’s core at one point, but it now appears that he will be traded. According to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, one team that might be interested is the Atlanta Braves.

“Trade targets: Corbin Burnes, Shane Bieber, Tyler Glasnow, Anthony Santander, Max Kepler, and Alex Verdugo,” Bowden said in a statement. “With the exception of the rotation and left field, the Braves were the best team in baseball during the regular season and can mostly ‘run it back’ next year.” Since the beginning of the offseason, they have concentrated on acquiring a significant starting pitcher, bullpen depth, and left-field upgrades. The Braves have cleared roster space and increased salary flexibility, and it’s assumed that they’ll make a big splash soon.”

If the Red Sox move Verdugo this offseason, it will almost probably be for starting pitching help. Boston has an abundance of outfielders, and Verdugo is a free agent next year. He may not be in the Red Sox’s long-term plans, but trading him for pitching would make no sense. There will undoubtedly be interest in him, and a move might be imminent at this point.

READ MORE:

Atlanta Braves Black Friday Free Agent Deals

While we wait for the top of the market to clear, here are potential free-agent trades the Atlanta Braves might make to bolster their squad for a low cost.

While we wait for the top of the market to clear, here are potential free-agent trades the Atlanta Braves might make to bolster their squad for a low cost.

Everyone is out hunting for the finest deals over the holiday season, including Atlanta Braves head of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos.

The hope for AA and many Braves fans is still to land a big piece this offseason for the starting rotation and possibly left field. But there are still several open roster spots that need to be filled, and they likely need to be filled at a fairly cheap price.

Let’s do some Black Friday shopping!

Whit Merrifield

The veteran utility player will turn 35 in January and certainly isn’t the impact player he was early in his career, but it gives the Braves a reliable bat who can play all over.

Merrifield did make the All-Star team last year with the Blue Jays, but finished the season with an OPS+ of 94. He hasn’t had an OPS+ over 100 since 2020.

Still, he hit .272 with double-digit homers and over 20 stolen bases.

Getting Merrifield brings an added benefit as he could help mold Vaughn Grissom into that super-utility role — assuming Grissom remains in the future plans for the Braves.

MLB Trade Rumors predicts Merrifield getting a two-year deal for $18M. I’d see if you could get him on sale for 1 year at $8 million with a 2025 team option and a $2 million buyout.

Luis Severino

This is a name I’ve been throwing around a lot this offseason, as the upside is tremendous.

The downside is very real too, as he was one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball last year with a 6.65 ERA and 1.65 WHIP.

His still just 29 and had a good season in 2019 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.

He still throws hard with a fastball that averaged 96.5 MPH last year — but it’s a pitch that got crushed mainly because he couldn’t locate his secondaries.

If the Braves could get him on a one-year deal at $10-$12 million as he tries to turn things around and hit free agency again, it could be a great bargain for the Braves.

Jason Heyward

Others have suggested this to me this offseason, but it actually makes a lot of sense to bring the Georgia native back.

Last year with the Dodgers, he had a wRC+ of 123 against right-handed pitching in 308 at-bats with 13 home runs and a .276 average.

The 34-year-old also remains a plus defender in the outfield even if the speed and arm have diminished a bit.

After a resurgent year in LA, he may have opportunities to get more playing time for lesser teams, but if he wants the chance to compete for another World Series perhaps he’ll be willing to come back home on a one-year deal for $8 million with a team option and $2 million buyout.

Bargain Basement Deals

All of these are guys you might be able to get on either a minor league deal or less than $2 million.

Billy McKinney — A left-handed outfield bat that had a 100 wRC+ against righties last year with 6 home runs in 137 plate appearances. Not quite the defense or veteran presence that Kevin Pillar brought, but similar type of production.

Nick Ahmed — Another chance to bring a former Brave home, Ahmed isn’t going to give you much with the bat but would replace the defensive backup lost with Nick Lopez getting traded.

Jaime Barria —

The 27-year-old might get paid this offseason, but he fits the model of someone who can be a backup reliever or a spot starter – the old Josh Tomlin job.

The hot burner is ready to flare up now that the Thanksgiving break is past and the Winter Meetings are coming. Good luck in your search for the finest offers!