Pablo Sandoval, Atlanta Braves. (Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)
If the Atlanta Braves do become sellers at the trade deadline, they have some pieces to move.
The Atlanta Braves have not lived up to expectations through their first 69 games of the season.
Atlanta is 33-36 on the year and in third place in the NL East. The Braves commence a road series with the division-leading arch rival New York Mets on Monday. If Atlanta loses any more ground in the NL East race, general manager Alex Anthopoulos may have no choice but to retool his roster for a better shot at competing for next season and beyond. The Braves have a few tradable assets.
If the Braves end up being sellers at the trade deadline, one of these three players could be dealt.
Atlanta Braves: 3 players worth selling high on at 2021 MLB trade deadline
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Pablo Sandoval
1B/3B Atlanta Braves
It would destroy the clubhouse culture, but every contender needs a bench bat
While he has not been a member of the Atlanta organization for very long, trading switch-hitting corner infielder Pablo Sandoval would crush Braves Country’s heart. When any Braves player hits a home run, he is expected to give “The Kung Fu Panda” a big, ole hug in the Atlanta dugout. Sandoval even has a panda head he puts on to make the whole the thing a semi-nightly spectacle.
But it is not just moral support that Sandoval brings to this club. He is a clutch hitter from both sides of the plate with ample postseason experience in his decade-plus career out of Venezuela. Sandoval won three World Series championships as a member of the San Francisco Giants in the early 2010s, winning World Series MVP in 2012. He is the bench bat all contenders should covet.
At this point of his career, Sandoval is probably best served playing for an American League team so he can get more regular playing time as a designated hitter. While he can man the hot corner, and play a little bit of first base as well, his best asset is clutch hitting as a pinch hitter. No at-bat is too big for the larger-than-life “Kung Fu Panda”. Surely, Atlanta could garner something for him.
Fortunately, the Braves have way more to offer than a bench bat and an elite clubhouse presence.