B.S. Report: Braves at the trade deadline

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – We are a month away from the MLB trade deadline.

The Braves are close to the .500 mark, so they may be in that in-between area of having to decide whether they will be buyers or sellers. They’ll probably be both. They will likely trade away a veteran like Jaime Garcia, who will be a free agent this winter. But they’ll probably at least listen to see what it might cost to get a starting pitcher.

Rumors have already circulated this week that the Braves have scouted Oakland’s Sonny Gray in his last start. Gray will actually pitch against the Braves Friday night, so we’ll have a chance to watch him first-hand. He’d be a great addition to the Braves’ pitching staff. Gray is from Tennessee. He went to Vanderbilt. I’ve heard he actually grew up a Braves’ fan. So, it would be a lot like when the Braves got Tim Hudson back in 2004 from the A’s. But Gray – or Chris Archer or Jose Quintana – will cost a lot.

The Braves need this type of pitcher – someone in their mid-to-late 20s who has a few years left on their contract. They can’t replace these old pitchers with all rookies. They are going to need a more veteran – yet not an old pitcher to join the rotation. Gray fits perfectly. He’s 27 years old and he has two more years after this season left on his contract.

But any one of these type pitchers will cost a lot of prospects in return. And this is yet another huge decision that faces the Atlanta front office. The easy decisions have been made. It’s not complicated to put all of your older veterans on the trade block and accept the best offer. The Braves have done that and did it well when they started this process two-plus years ago. But now, the decisions of when to bring up the young pitchers and young prospects and then who to include in trades for veterans will be even more crucial to the rebuild.

They made the right call, or so it seems so far, on Sean Newcomb. He’s been great in his first four starts. But the real tough decisions will be who to include in this type of trade. For example, the A’s would likely want Ozzie Albies, the potential replacement at second base for Brandon Phillips, and one of the top young pitching prospects in Double-A, for Sonny Gray. Well, the Braves have to be careful. Do they have anyone who can replace Albies if they did trade him? And can they keep the A’s away from the pitching prospect they like the most? This team is sniffing .500 again, and the goal must be to finish near .500 for the season.

But these are the decisions that will be made in the second half of the season that will be so important in the Braves’ process. The rebuild is turning a bit, and that’s because we’re right in the middle of it. Rebuilding plans usually last five years. Sunday will be the halfway point of this season, which is season three of the rebuild. So, it’s time for the turn to take place, and it’s happening. The promotion and success of Newcomb is a big sign of that.

Now the front office must be careful in taking that next step.