Atlanta Braves Rumors: Pitching Success Could Lead To Trade For More Offense

Atlanta Braves rumors have taken a strange turn in light of their recent surprising pitching success. After Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, and Mike Minor were all lost to injuries, the Braves were scrambling to assemble a pitching rotation to place on the field. When the Atlanta Braves let Freddy Garcia walk just before the season, many fans were left scratching their heads.

But a couple of offseason pitching moves, have silenced all Atlanta Braves rumors about the need for more pitching. With the unbelievable success of Aaron Harang, Ervin Santana, and David Hale, the Atlanta Braves find themselves with a gluttonous amount of starting pitching. Now, Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd are right around the corner from returning, begging the question, “who’s the odd man out?”

The Braves organization have invested a lot into Mike Minor, who is a young pitcher that has shown an incredible ability to get outs. Though he is not overpowering and does not get a high amount of strikeouts, he keeps a low ERA and shows a knowledge of how to pitch. Gavin Floyd may be subject to a series of unfortunate events. Floyd, who is scheduled to return at the beginning of May, only pitched five games in 2013 with the Chicago White Sox and did not look good. With two solid veterans already performing well, it looks like Floyd will have a difficult time breaking into the rotation.

Although not many executives will talk about trades when their team has the second best record in MLB, Atlanta Braves rumors about potential trade scenarios are sure to surface now that they have seven starting pitchers to fit into a five man rotation. If the Braves do decide to pursue a trade, they have a couple of needs to address.

Luis Avilan has been less than stellar in his 11 appearances as the Atlanta Braves left handed relief pitcher. The Braves might want to look at upgrading their left handed pitching, something of a premium in the National League. Another option is to shop around for a legitimate lead off man. Only sporting a.305 on base percentage as a team, the Atlanta Braves struggle to drive in runs with the hot hitting of Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton. Jason Heyward and BJ Upton are both struggling to even bat.200. It is hard to imagine either of those players not in the Braves line up because of their outstanding defense. But given the chance to find a lead off man, would the Atlanta Braves consider a trade of one of those players and a starting pitcher?

Barring anymore injuries to Atlanta pitchers, the team is going to have to do something. For now, the Atlanta Braves trade rumors are at a low buzz, but expect to hear more in the coming weeks.

[Image via Brett Davis, USA TODAY Sports]