A new blockbuster trade from the Braves-A to get AJ Minter out of high-pressure situations

Despite a heavy road defeat against the New York Mets on Sunday night, the Atlanta Braves should not be discouraged. On the contrary, Atlanta has won two out of three games against New York and remains just two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the standings despite a tougher schedule thus far.

Minter gave up a home run to Brandon Nimmo. The Braves entered the inning with one run, but if there’s been a theme for Minter this season, it’s that he’s given up the long ball far too often. Nimmo’s blast was his fifth home run allowed through mid-May. He also has three defeats this year.

Minter maintains he prefers to challenge the batter rather than put the potentially winning run on base, even if it comes back to bite him. A 90 MPH cutter up the middle probably isn’t what Minter or the Braves were looking for at the moment.

“I take pride in making hitters win,” Minter said, according to the AJC.“I’ll never be afraid of a hitter, I’ll never be afraid to throw a strike. In this situation, I am not going to put the winning point on the goals. I’m going to attack them. Yeah, I mean, if you take away all the home runs I gave up, I’m the best pitcher in baseball. That’s what killed me this year, was just keeping the ball in the yard. I don’t know how to fix this, I don’t know if everything’s going to work out, but yeah, I mean, I just wish I could tell you.”

The Oakland Athletics have dealt with the Braves several times in recent years, dealing with Matt Olson and Sean Murphy in Atlanta. Still, the A’s have another budding star that could interest the Braves, as closer Mason Miller is expected to be coveted at the trade deadline.

Miller can hit triple figures and isn’t as prone to giving up the long ball as Minter. Having Miller in the bullpen to anchor the battery would create an embarrassment of riches and allow Minter to step into lower leverage situations, where he should thrive. So far this season, Miller has a 1.10 ERA and eight saves.

Any trade to acquire Miller would be expensive. He’s still in his pre-arbitration years, so Miller is a long way from reaching free agency. It will take a sponsor offer to the Braves to secure Miller, but Oakland is inclined to listen because they are far from real conflict ahead of their move to Sacramento and perhaps eventually Vegas.

If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Smith-Shawver is top 60 in baseball and the best the Braves can offer. Elder has yet to return to form, but he was an NL All-Star last season and can slide right into the A’s rotation, just like Dodd. Perdomo is the seventh prospect in the Atlanta system and is only 17 years old.

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