Braves Briefing: Could Atlanta trade for Jack Flaherty?

As the trade deadline slowly creeps up, many Braves fans are hoping for the NL East leaders to bolster their bullpen and get stronger from the mound to compliment their explosive lineup in hopes of a strong postseason run.

MLB.com discussed potential trade fits for players of the rise and one player that was mentioned as a possible fit for the Braves was Jack Flaherty, a 27-year-old RHP with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here's what MLB.com wrote about the fit.

After allowing 10 ER in just 2 1/3 innings against the Angels on May 4, Flaherty posted a 2.06 ERA over his next six starts, helping St. Louis to victories in five of those games. The right-hander -- who is slated to become a free agent at the end of the season -- was roughed up by the Giants (6 ER in 4 1/3 innings) on June 13 and by the Nationals (6 ER in 6 1/3 innings), but he would be a valuable piece for most contenders seeking a rotation upgrade.

They listed the Braves, Giants, and Rays as potential fits.

NL East Standings

Team	Record	GB	Action Today
Atlanta	46-26	-	@ Philadelphia
Miami	42-31	4.5	Hosts Toronto
Philadelphia	38-34	8.0	Hosts Atlanta
NYM	34-38	12.0	@ Houston
Washington	27-44	18.5	Hosts STL

We wrote it

Our own Lindsay Crosby published our first mock draft of this cycle and went deep on the first three selections. The first was C Kyle Teel out of Virginia.

Teel is generally considered to be the premier college catcher available in the draft, and I did not expect him to be available at 24. There were a few places that made sense for him to get snagged - Kansas City at #8 has a giant organizational need for catchers, as well as #15 to the White Sox and #21 to the Cardinals, but their loss is Atlanta's gain.
Teel's a good athlete - not for a catcher, but good athlete period. His speed is above-average, good enough for him to have played some corner outfield in both college and in the Cape Cod summer league. That kind of athleticism is rare to find in a backstop, and it has to be making Sal Fasano salivate at the possibility of getting his hands on Teel. The arm is average to above average, but the athleticism lets you mitigate that somewhat with a good pop time, and he did enough to hold college runners from running at will.

Check out the full MLB Mock here.

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What's next for the Atlanta Braves

First pitch in Tuesday's series opener is set for 6:40 PM ET, with Spencer Strider scheduled to face off with LHP Ranger Suarez. The game broadcast, with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin, is available inside Braves Country on Bally Sports South and is available on MLB.TV outside of the broadcast area. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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