The commotion around the trade deadline will start to surface over the course of the next few weeks. The Braves, who are still in the middle of their championship window despite dealing with a number of ailments, are anticipated to be among the most active clubs. Even with Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. sidelined for the year, they cannot afford to take a gamble on this season. This club just possesses too much quality to pass up.
If you choose to see the bright side of things, Alex Anthopoulos has plenty of options to improve the Braves team. The outfield is obviously the most in need, but shortstop is also a serious problem, and extra pitching of any kind is always beneficial.
“Who will be the best player at each position traded ahead of the deadline?” was the question Jim Bowden of The Athletic posed to a wide range of executives.
The Braves should be considering all of the interesting replies that I received, but it’s my responsibility to make things reasonable. A poor farm system will prevent Alex Anthopoulos from acquiring some of the big names that will be available, but many of these players are quite accessible and the Braves should be keeping an eye on them.
Top Starting Pitcher Trade Targets For Braves
Before the injuries happened, the elderly Jack Flaherty was a formidable opponent. He had only 35 appearances (32 starts) between 2020 and 2022, and in his first season back fully healthy last year, he recorded a 4.99 ERA. Nothing particularly noteworthy, but he was able to sign a one-year contract with the Tigers, and it’s a move that may be advantageous for Detroit come trade deadline time.
While many outside the building don’t share the Las Vegas Raiders’ confidence about the 2024 season, the team is. The Raiders were ranked No. 26 by ESPN after they analyzed and predicted every starting lineup in the NFL.
One major factor contributing to the poor ranking was the quarterback position.
One major factor contributing to the poor ranking was the quarterback position.
In a post published on June 25, Mike Clay stated, “Perhaps the league’s most underwhelming QB situation will involve a battle between 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell and veteran newcomer Gardner Minshew.” “Minshew played well (ranked 13th in QBR) last season in Indianapolis, taking over for the injured Anthony Richardson, while O’Connell performed well (ranked 25th) in Las Vegas after taking Jimmy Garoppolo’s position. O’Connell has to step it up and emerge as a Day 3 gem for the Raiders.
Although the Raiders’ quarterback room isn’t the best in the NFL, it should be improved over the previous year. O’Connell should get better in his second season after starting ten games. Compared to Garoppolo, Minshew ought to be a more reliable passer of deep balls. With the addition of tight end Brock Bowers and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, the squad has also made improvements in other areas. It’s hard to imagine Las Vegas, who had the 21st-best record in the NFL heading into the offseason, making a significant regression.
This season, the Raiders’ defensive line must be the best in the league. This offseason, the club made few additions to the linebacker or secondary. The defensive line is mostly relied upon by the team to establish the tone for the remainder of the defense.
The Las Vegas Raiders Require CBs to Improve
The Raiders haven’t made many additions to their secondary this summer, as was previously mentioned. They seem prepared to rely on several young players who were part of the team the previous year.
That can turn out to be a blessing or a curse. According to ESPN, the Raiders’ biggest X-factor in 2024 will be the cornerback.
Seth Walder writes, “Cornerbacks Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, and Nate Hobbs.” As Mike said, the defensive line is unquestionably strong. Therefore, the three corners will determine if this defense is successful or not. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Jones, who was grabbed off waivers by New England last year, had a little better than average 1.2 yards per coverage snap allowed. Bennett (1.7) and Hobbs (1.6) performed worse in the measure; however, Bennett’s results were based on a small sample size. In 2024, Vegas will need at least a portion of this group to step up.
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