Without the moves made by Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos at the 2021 MLB trade deadline, Atlanta doesn’t win the World Series. With this year’s deadline three days away, the question becomes; can lightning strike twice? Mark Zinno thinks it must.
The Braves have been quiet so far with the deadline looming, and Zinno says that while it may feel alarming, it should go noted that Anthopoulos typically “operates in the shadows.” It remains to be seen who may wind up in Atlanta, but Zinno pointed out that dominos have already started to fall within the NL East with the Mets making a move to acquire utility outfielder Tyler Naquin from the Reds.
While Naquin may not be a household name, Braves fans know better than anyone that even a minor move at the deadline can have a huge ripple effect.
“While you may be saying ‘Zinno, that’s not a big deal, who the hell is Tyler Naquin?’ I get it. That would be the reaction I would have too, but many people last year when the Braves made a move for a guy called Eddie Rosario said ‘who the hell is Eddie Rosario?’ and look at the impact he had on the team moving forward,” he said.
Naquin’s .246 batting average and 8 home runs won’t have fans confusing him with Pete Alonso, but Zinno notes that Joc Pederson was batting .230 when the Braves added him at least year’s deadline.
So, with the Braves trailing the Mets by three games in the division, Zinno says that the Braves can’t afford to stand pat and hope that players like Rosario, Tyler Matzek and others round into their 2021 postseason form, especially with a measuring stick series against the Mets coming up. He also mentioned how the new MLB Playoff format places an importance on winning the division this year.
“If this team would like to get back to the World Series and win the World Series, it's going to require a certain measure of getting better than you already are,” Zinno said adding that he has every reason to believe that Anthopoulos will do what needs to be done.
Zinno hopes to see Anthopoulos add another arm to the rotation as struggles from Ian Anderson and Charlie Morton have been a cause for concern throughout the season. Morton was roughed up earlier this week in the Phillies series finale and Anderson is hoping to right the ship tonight against the Diamondbacks.