By MIKE ROBERTS
Editor’s Note: All statistics in this article are for games played through Monday, Aug. 3.
The Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone, and both the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves were active but did not pull off any larger-than-life deals. Meanwhile, there were some major moves across the league, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers acquiring two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Rays landing former New York Mets All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta. The Braves had been reported to be among the teams pursuing Skubal.
Here’s a look at what trades the Reds and Braves made:
Cincinnati Reds Moves
There were rumors that the Reds had discussions with the Boston Red Sox about sending star shortstop Elly De La Cruz (.276 AVG, .855 OPS, 18 HR, 50 RBI, 20 SB) to Boston, but such a deal never came to fruition.
One trade that Cincinnati did make involved first baseman and designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe (.266 AVG, .820 OPS, 12 HR, 37 RBI, 0 SB) going to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for 19-year-old Alejandro Rivera, who has posted an ERA of 3.06 in 13 games in Low-A this season, and infielder Juan Brito.
The Reds also traded pitcher Caleb Ferguson (1-0, 4.01 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) to the division rival St. Louis Cardinals for international pool money.
All in all it was a quiet and rather boring trade deadline for Cincinnati. The team opted to keep its roster intact by not trading players like pitcher Brady Singer (5-10, 4.35 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) and catcher Tyler Stephenson (.256 AVG, .759 OPS, 9 HR, 32 RBI, 0 SB).
Atlanta Braves
On Saturday, the Braves acquired outfielder Lane Thomas (.232 AVG, .719 OPS, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 7 SB) and minor league pitcher Bailey Falter (0-2, 13.97 ERA, 3.10 WHIP) from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-hander Lucas Braun and left-hander Carter Holton.
Thomas, who served as an everyday center fielder in Kansas City, will likely platoon with Mike Yastrzemski (.232 AVG, .702 OPS, 8 HR, 32 RBI, 1 SB) in left field with the Braves. The 30-year-old Thomas is a career .288 hitter against left-handed pitching, and his best season came in 2023 with the Washington Nationals as he recorded 28 home runs and 86 RBIs. Meanwhile, Falter will head to Triple-A Gwinnett.
On Sunday night, Atlanta landed right-handed pitcher Tyler Mahle (3-9, 5.13 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for fellow RHP Anthony Molina. Mahle will bolster the Braves’ starting rotation that has been without injured players like Spencer Strider (4-2, 5.31 ERA, 1.36 WHIP), who looks to be out for the remainder of the season; Spencer Schwellenbach, and Reynaldo Lopez (4-3, 3.64 ERA, 1.34 WHIP).
Before Monday’s 6 PM trade deadline, the Braves landed two relievers in left-hander Brent Suter (1-2, 4.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) from the Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Tyler Uberstine (0-1, 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) from the Red Sox. In return, the Braves sent Nacho Alvarez Jr. to Los Angeles and Eli White (.233 AVG, .691 OPS, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 4 SB) to Boston. The Braves hope Suter can shore up the bullpen, serving as a third lefty.
The Competition
The Philadelphia Phillies are the Braves’ closest challenger in the National League East, trailing first-place Atlanta by 7.5 games in the standings. Philadelphia made two major additions at the deadline, picking up infielder Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants as well as left-handed reliever Brooks Raley from the Mets.
Arraez is a huge pickup. The four-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and three-time batting champion makes the Phillies a better team, but it remains to be seen if his addition can help the Phils catch up in the division.
Our regular Braves and Reds reports return Monday, August 10.