By no means is an illness to Max Fried any reason for Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves to freak out, but it does point to the fragility of their situation. Thankfully, they have options.
Max Fried missed his latest rehab start with an illness, which will push back his eventual return to the majors until after the MLB trade deadline. Kyle Wright, another one of Atlanta's starting rotation regulars, will return later than expected — September may be a more realistic timeline for the 27-year-old.
While the Braves DO expect to have both pitchers ready for the postseason, delays in their long-awaited return dates points to one of Atlanta's most important needs at the deadline — serviceable starting pitching.
Atlanta should look no further than the St. Louis Cardinals, which are selling off rentals in exchange for 2024 assets.
A Cardinals-Braves trade to fix pitching woes
Flaherty is trending in the right direction, and just gave up three runs in five innings of work on Wednesday night. He's a solid back-of-the-rotation pitcher, which is something the Braves need for late-season work. Come the postseason, Flaherty can be used in a long-relief role, which is something he has experience doing.
As for Grissom, there isn't really a spot for him in Atlanta. The Athletic rated him as the most likely Brave to be traded, and that feels about right. Ron Washington worked with Grissom this offseason to try and make him a viable defensive shortstop. That attempt failed, and Atlanta no longer needs help at the position.
For St. Louis, though, perhaps they can move Grissom off the position and play him elsewhere. His bat is valuable enough, and he should add to a potent lineup. Flaherty is a rental, and acquiring an asset with control like Grissom is pretty great value for a pitcher who had been struggling at the start of the season.
