The Braves could get their hands on Aaron Judge before the MLB trade deadline if they make a big enough offer to the Yankees.
The Atlanta Braves hoped to be a contender again in 2021 after a strong 2020 campaign. However, they’ve been a relative disappointment.
At 41-42, they sit 3.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East. They’ve picked up the pace a bit recently, but they still need something more if they want to push for a run in October.
So why not go big and target an All-Star at the trade deadline?
What would it take for the Braves to trade for Aaron Judge?
The Braves could take advantage of the Yankees terrible time by throwing out an offer for All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge.
Judge is one of the only good things about the Yankees this season. He’s batting .284/.379/.523 with an OPS of .902. He has 19 home runs.
The only Braves player having a better year is Ronald Acuña Jr.
Judge would put Marcell Ozuna and his legal problems in the rearview mirror. The hard part would be enticing New York to trade.
Braves Get
OF Aaron Judge
Yankees Get
OF Christian Pache
LHP Kyle Muller
RHP Bryce Elder
The Yankees are fourth in the AL East and 10 games behind the first-place Red Sox. Judge had to call a team meeting amid the free fall. Their pitching All-Stars Gerrit Cole and Aroldis Chapman have fallen off a cliff.
It’s time for New York to look to the future. They could do that with three of the Braves best prospects in exchange for Judge.
Christian Pache batted .111/.152/.206 in 22 games for the Braves this year, but the centerfielder is just 22 with a bright future ahead of him. He’s No. 1 in Atlanta’s farm system and No. 10 in MLB.com’s prospect rankings overall.
This trade would also involve the Braves top pitching prospect, Kyle Muller. The lefty looked strong in his handful of appearances in 2021, with an ERA of 3.45.
Bryce Elder is the Braves’ 11th-best prospect at 22 years old.
Those three would be a sizable haul for the Yankees in terms of future potential. Trading Judge to the Braves would also mean sticking it to the Mets.