The Atlanta Braves are winning again, and that means trade rumors are going to follow. They’ve been linked to just about every big name on the market — Tarik Skubal, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., you name it. But the front office has a history of pulling off moves that nobody saw coming, and this deadline might be no different.
Even with Chris Sale looking like his old self and Bryce Elder turning in quality start after quality start, the rotation still has questions. Spencer Strider got hurt again. Spencer Schwellenbach and AJ Smith-Shawver are working their way back, but counting on them for October is risky. And the lineup could use another bat even if Ronald Acuna Jr. stays healthy.
So here are three names that might not make headlines but could make a real difference.
Sonny Gray, Red Sox
If Atlanta can’t land Skubal — and that’s a big if given Detroit’s asking price — Gray is the kind of steady veteran who could slot right in. He’s 36 and doesn’t have a ton of playoff mileage, but what he does have is a 3.12 ERA this season with a 1.183 WHIP. His strikeout rate has dipped a little, but he’s still getting guys out and keeping runs off the board.
Gray is 8-1 for a Red Sox team that’s 14 games under .500. That tells you something about how he’s pitched. And he’s already said he’d be open to a trade to a contender. According to the Boston Globe via the New York Post, Gray told reporters: “If someone came to me from the Red Sox and made a decision that that’s the direction that this team was going to go, I would be open for a conversation.”
He also made it clear he wants some say in where he ends up. That’s a reasonable ask for a guy who’s been around. The Braves wouldn’t have to gut their farm system to get him either, which is always nice.
Casey Mize, Tigers
If Atlanta wants someone younger with more team control, Mize could be the guy. He’s only 27 and having a quietly strong season — 2.58 ERA, 1.013 WHIP, just three home runs allowed all year. His record is 2-4, but that’s more about Detroit’s offense than his pitching.
ESPN’s Buster Olney noted that Mize has been on the IL twice with a groin strain, but in the nine starts before that he posted a 2.27 ERA with solid peripherals. His fastball velocity is down compared to earlier in his career, but he’s got four pitches that are all playing at or above average — fastball, cutter, sweeper, splitter. He’s also only making about $2 million for the rest of the season, which is peanuts for a potential playoff starter.
The Tigers are probably going to move him, according to reports. And the Braves wouldn’t have to give up a top prospect to get the deal done.
Jeremy Pena, Astros
This one might make the most sense of the three. Atlanta has gotten below-average production from shortstop this season, and Pena is a plus defender with pop. He hit 17 homers last year with a .304 average, and even while dealing with a hamstring issue this season he’s at .286 with six homers in 177 at-bats.
Olney described Pena as “always a plus defender at shortstop with a strong power/speed combo” but noted his feel for hitting comes and goes. That’s fair. The advanced metrics say his 2025 season — 5.7 WAR — probably wasn’t sustainable, and he’s more of a 2.7-to-3.3 WAR guy going forward. But for a team that needs a steady glove and some thump from that position, that’s plenty.
The big question right now is his hamstring. The Astros have called it a cramp, per MLB.com, but anything with a hamstring makes you nervous. If he’s healthy, he’d be a solid addition to the middle of the Braves’ lineup.
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