Breaking: Braves reportedly ‘very busy’ as they close in on move to complete signing of Top-5 Prospect

Beset with injury, the Atlanta Braves suddenly need a boost in the outfield. To get that help, the franchise could look to trade for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward, as Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter suggested in a story published June 27.

Reuter’s proposal would send Ward to Atlanta in exchange for the Braves’ No. 4 prospect JR Ritchie and right-handed pitcher Allan Winans.

With Ronald Acuna Jr. out for the remainder of the season and Michael Harris II expected to miss “a long time” with a hamstring strain, the Braves’ outfield urgency is higher than it’s been at any point this season. Ward would provide some stability, bringing with him a 116 OPS+ and 14 home runs through 76 games this year.

In his age 30 season, Ward has played just one full year in the majors, appearing in 135 games for the Angels in 2022 and hitting .281 with 23 home runs in the process. Last year, Ward seemed poised to build on that, but a freak hit-by-pitch derailed his season. He played in just 97 games as he recovered from the incident that left him with facial fractures from an Alek Manoah fastball.

The Angle Don’t Have to Trade Taylor Ward

Ward will be a sought-after hitter at the trade deadline with the Angels languishing out of contention and in need of a rebuild. But as Reuter points out, that doesn’t mean LA will rush to move him.

“With club control through the 2026 season, the Angels don’t need to trade him unless they get the return they are seeking, but selling high now makes sense for a team that needs a wide-scale rebuild,” Reuter wrote.

Ward is making a manageable $4.8 million this year and has two more seasons of arbitration remaining. He’s not a piece that the Angels would likely want to build around, so Reuter is right that now might be the time to sell high.

Ward may keep producing and increase his value further, but that’s a risk for a guy on the wrong side of 30 who has played triple-digit games in a season only once. With Reuter’s proposal, the Angels would get real value for him in a prospect with plenty of upside.

The Braves Would Have to Part with JR Ritchie

You have to give something to get something at the trade deadline, and in order for the Braves to shore up their outfield, Reuter has them trading Ritchie, the No. 35 overall pick in 2022.

Reuter describes him as having “four plus pitches, good command and remaining projection in his 6’2″, 185-pound frame.” He also just returned from Tommy John surgery, which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it.

It means he has thrown only 2 innings in 2024 and 15.1 total in the last two years. He has plenty of work to do if he wants to prove he’s healthy. On the other hand, he’s gotten his Tommy John out of the way at age 21, and as a guy who can hit the upper 90s with his fastball, he has plenty of tools to work with as he projects to be a Major League starter.

As for Winans, the Angels can plug him into the pitching staff immediately if they want. He only has 37.1 innings of Major League experience and hasn’t been effective for Atlanta in that time, allowing 25 earned runs and 10.8 hits per 9 innings.