The Atlanta Braves are arguably in the most interesting position around Major League Baseball entering the end of June. With the deadline on July 31, it still remains uncertain what the Braves will do. At 33-39 and 11 games back from the New York Mets, it seems certain that the Braves won’t make the postseason, barring anything drastic happening.
However, Atlanta will still have opportunities to improve its roster over the next few weeks to months if it chooses to. In the MLB draft, the Braves have the 22nd pick, and Just Baseball recently predicted them to land someone who could be a big part of their future in the form of Riley Quick, a right-handed pitcher out of the University of Alabama.
“Quick is an imposing presence on the mound (6-foot-6, 260 pounds) and has made a quick recovery from elbow surgery during the ’24 season.
“There’s a lot to like with the profile, pitchability, and shapes, which Atlanta could pounce on here should they continue their trend of six consecutive pitchers with their first selection,” they wrote.
Quick would be an interesting pick, as he’s shown above-average stuff during his time in college, and dominated hitters throughout parts of his career in the SEC.
However, he’s also dealt with some injuries, but has bounced back nicely this past year. In 2024, he threw in just one game because of an injury. In 2025, he posted a 3.92 ERA and struck out 70 hitters in 62.0 innings.
Do the Braves Have Their Eyes on the Future?
It makes more sense for the Atlanta Braves to go into the draft with a rebuild in mind.
In that event, they could take the best player available, which is often what happens around Major League Baseball, anyway. However, according to the Braves’ general manager, Alex Anthopoulos, the plan isn’t for them to sell at the deadline. In fact, Anthopoulos has absolutely no plans of moving on from Chris Sale, adding that he thinks it’s ridiculous that rumors are even out there
“No, zero. I’ve seen the speculation. It’s completely ridiculous to me. We are not selling, especially someone that has club control beyond the current year,” he said, per MLB Trade Rumors. “Will not happen. I never make definitive statements unless I’m going to stick to them. Once you make definitive statements and then you go back on them, you’re a liar and you’re done.
“Will. Not. Happen. Bold, italicize it, caps. So much so that I’m trying to make a trade now — it’s very hard to make a trade in June — just to signal to everybody that we will not sell. (If) you get to the end of July and things are completely changed, I guess we would reevaluate, but you’d have to be extreme. We’re built to win. Our expectations are to win. Our expectations are to go for it the entire time.”
Should the Braves Be Trying to Trade Sale?
Not trading Sale doesn’t make much sense, but the Atlanta Braves do have a team option on him during the offseason. Sale has been one of the better starters in Major League Baseball, posting a 2.52 ERA. He recently dominated the New York Mets on Wednesday night, striking out seven in 8.2 innings and allowing zero earned runs.
That gives Atlanta even more reason to move him. The Braves need prospects, and Sale would allow them to get just that.
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