Braves reportedly ‘keeping a close eye’ on Zach Eflin
Two years after he helped the Philadelphia Phillies to win the National League pennant, could Zach Eflin become a key figure in trying to stop another World Series run by his former team?
USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale wrote Sunday that the division-rival Atlanta Braves are “keeping a close eye on Eflin” as the summer trade season nears.
Common sense tells you that the Braves will add at least one starter in advance of the July 30 trade deadline, given that they lost All-Star Spencer Strider for the season after he had to undergo an internal brace procedure to correct an injury to his pitching elbow. Both Chris Sale and Max Fried have durability questions, and for as good as Reynaldo López has pitched so far this season, he hasn’t thrown more than 70 innings in a single campaign since 2019.
With two lefties in Sale and Fried, it would probably make sense for the Braves to target a right-handed pitcher. Eflin would give them that on what projects to be a weak trade market, particularly if teams like the Houston Astros don’t ultimately sell.
Additionally, Eflin is only in the second season of a three-year/$40 million deal, so he wouldn’t be a rental. It’s uncertain exactly what the Braves will get from Strider in 2025, and Fried can become a free agent after this season, so having an established veteran like Eflin under contract for next season would appeal to the Braves.
After finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young Award in his first season with the Rays a year ago, Eflin has a 4.12 ERA and 3.67 FIP over 59 innings pitched this season.
Now 30, Eflin’s contract dictates that he would receive a $1 million bonus if traded. Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is on July 30.
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