Braves Trade Proposal Sends ATL Intriguing Pitcher But for $65 Million All-Star

The rumor mill is like the Energizer Bunny -- it just keeps going and going and going.

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos stated on 680 The Fan this week that the team will not be selling at the MLB trade deadline. But that hasn't stopped the rumor mill.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden proposed 10 "difference-making" trades for American League teams in the wild-card race. Toward the bottom of the list, Bowden pitched the Braves sending designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to the Texas Rangers for left-handed pitching prospect Kohl Drake.

"The Rangers’ offense has been inconsistent this season, and it looks like they need an impact middle-of-the order bat. Ozuna would be a potential solution if the Braves decide to sell at the trade deadline. (They are 5 1/2 games out of the final NL wild-card spot but are still five games below .500)," Bowden wrote. "Ozuna, 34, is slashing .253/.381/.418 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. He’s ranked fourth in the majors in walks (52) and is on pace to set a career high. Ozuana batted .302 with 39 homers and 104 RBIs last year and will be a free agent after this season.

"In return, the Braves would acquire Drake, an 11th-round pick in 2022, who has a 2.74 ERA over 11 starts with 68 strikeouts and 20 walks in 49 1/3 innings this season at Double A. Law ranked Drake, 24, 11th in the Rangers’ farm system entering this season."

Drake would be an intriguing prospect to bring to Atlanta. In February, The Athletic's Keith Law didn't describe the left-hander as having the highest upside, but he could be an arm to help the Braves bullpen down the road.

"Drake got his body in shape last winter, losing 25-30 pounds, coming in with a better delivery and about 3 mph more on his fastball to work 91-95," Law wrote. "He’s got a tight curveball with real power to it as his best secondary pitch, followed closely by his changeup, which has some hard fade to it and which he uses more against right-handed batters, although the curveball gets them to whiff just as often.

"There’s fourth starter ceiling and definite bullpen value here with his new body and improved arsenal."

Law ranked Drake the Rangers' 11th-best prospect before the season.

The problem, though, is the Braves would have to give up Ozuna. In the past seven days alone, Ozuna has registered two big hits that have help Atlanta win games. Without them, the team might have gone 3-3 on its recent homestand instead of 5-1.

Ozuna is slashing .253/.381/.418 with 11 home runs, 39 RBI and 32 runs this season. His numbers are down from 2024, but Ozuna is playing through a hip injury this year.

The 34-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this winter, and because the Braves sit five games below .500, there has been a lot of speculation that Ozuna could be traded before the MLB trade deadline.

Anthopoulos, though, definitively stated during a radio interview Wednesday that the Braves will not be sellers.

Some MLB writers have suggested moving on from Ozuna isn't a "sellers" move because such a trade prevents him from simply walking in free agency with the Braves getting nothing in return this offseason.

However, that semantics argument is flimsy at best.

"So, I've seen the speculation, and that's why it's completely ridiculous to me," Anthopoulos said. "We're not selling, especially someone who has club control beyond the current year. Will not happen."

Trading Ozuna is selling. According to Anthopoulos, that's not going to happen.

So, Braves Country can dream about landing a pitching prospect such as Drake. But it's not going to happen in a trade for a player that the Braves see as someone helping them win this year.