Braves would acquire $33M two-time All-Star in 'way-too-early' trade prediction | Sporting News

The Atlanta Braves are typically a team you don't want to trade with.

Yet every year, multiple teams do it all the same.

Last season, the Braves fleeced the Boston Red Sox for veteran lefty Chris Sale, who went on to win his first career Cy Young Award.

This season, their more obvious need is shortstop, and they could look to make a deal to upgrade that position instead.

Orlando Arcia has been the Braves' full-time starter for the past two seasons, and he even made a surprise All-Star appearance in 2023.

Things have gone downhill since, however, as Arcia was one of the worst qualified hitters in Major League Baseball in 2024.

Though it appears that Arcia will retain the starting job to begin the new season, Atlanta knows it can't afford to keep him in the lineup heading into the playoffs if his offense doesn't improve.

By the trade deadline, the Braves could be shopping for Arcia's replacement.

On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicted that the Braves would find that replacement in Toronto Blue Jays star Bo Bichette, who is entering his final year of team control after a three-year, $33 million arbitration extension.

"While Arcia is a pretty solid defender, the former All-Star posted an underwhelming .625 OPS in 2024.

Arcia can play his way out of the Braves being in the market for someone like Bichette, but he has his work cut out." "It's unclear whether Bichette would be a long-term piece in Atlanta or just a rental, but either way, his addition would help them to compete both to win the NL East and to make a deep playoff run." Bichette, 26, is coming off a dismal year in which he put up a .598 OPS in 82 games.

Before that, though, he was a two-time All-Star, leading the American League in hits in back-to-back seasons from 2021-2022.

Last season was an aberration for Bichette, and if he proves early in the 2025 season that he's back to the player he was previously, there should be plenty of trade interest if the Blue Jays' season goes south.

Atlanta projects to have one of the deepest lineups in all of baseball when fully healthy, but Arcia's is the once spot holding them back.

Swapping him out for Bichette could make Atlanta a juggernaut worthy of taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League.

More MLB: Dodgers could acquire Nolan Arenado, $8.5 million in blockbuster 3-player swap.

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