The Rangers Ship Nathan Eovaldi To The Braves Boosting His Fantasy Value In This MLB Mock Trade

In this MLB mock trade, the Texas Rangers trade starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, to the Atlanta Braves.

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) throws to the plate against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

As the MLB standings start to take shape, we are quickly approaching the August 3 MLB Trade Deadline. There are some teams that have become clear buyers or sellers already, but things aren't so clear for some other teams. One of those teams that could go in either direction is the Texas Rangers.

There is a chance the 32-33 Rangers end up being buyers by the deadline because they are currently sitting just two games out of first place in the AL West. However, with a couple of bad weeks, they could also end up being sellers. Here, we are going to focus on that scenario. Some of your key fantasy players could be on the move out of Texas at some point between now and August.

One player who could be on the move is starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. The right-hander is a solid rotational piece who will give you innings and has big-game experience. He also comes with one more year of control heading into his age-37 season in 2027.

The Atlanta Braves could use more starter depth on their way to what they hope to be a deep playoff run. With all the injuries the Braves have been dealing with this season with their starting rotation, adding another arm could be a key to their postseason success.

Atlanta Braves - Texas Rangers Mock Trade

Atlanta Braves Receive

RHP - Nathan Eovaldi

Texas Rangers Receive

RHP - Garrett Baumann (Prospect)

RHP - Drue Hackenberg (Prospect)

Fantasy Impact

Eovaldi has been solid this season, considering he's 36 years old. He holds a 5-6 record with a 4.10 ERA and has struck out 74 batters in 74.2 innings. If the Rangers fall off and this move does get made, we'd expect this to be good news for his fantasy value.

Players tend to play better when the Braves trade for them, and we'd expect Eovaldi to step up his game, pitching in big situations in a potential battle for playoff positioning. Fantasy owners should be hopeful about his fantasy value if he becomes a stabilizing force on the back end of the Braves' rotation.

The prospects could get some work in the pros by next season, but we wouldn't expect any significant increase in value. Texas has a strong pitching staff and options in the minors. However, if they trade multiple starters, it could push up their timeline.

Why The Trade Makes Sense For The Atlanta Braves

Atlanta has a lot of hopes riding on starting pitchers returning from injury, like Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, and AJ Smith-Shawver. Their top two starters, Chris Sale and Spencer Strider, also have extensive injury histories. They could definitely use a reliable veteran starter with big-game experience for their late-season push.

Why The Trade Makes Sense For The Texas Rangers

Texas needs to sell as high as possible on the aging Eovaldi before his stock falls off a cliff. They can take advantage of him having one more year on his contract as well, and get some young pitching prospects in return, while moving a contract that could be less desirable for them than the Braves.

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