After a disappointing week, the Atlanta Braves (33-29) find themselves in a tie atop the National League East division with the surging Washington Nationals.
The offense still hasn’t consistently clicked, but the major reason for the Braves’ recent struggles has been the performance of the bullpen.
A year after leading the majors with a 2.46 bullpen ERA, the Braves bullpen has slipped to a 3.35 ERA, which puts them sixth in the National League.
This has cost the Braves in multiple games this season as Mark Bowman of MLB.com points out:
The #Braves have already lost more games (18-6) led after the sixth as they did all of last year (71-5). 4 of these Ls have been since 5/27
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 9, 2014
The bullpen should get a boost from the recent arrival of Shae Simmons as well as Jordan Walden when he returns from injury. However, general manager Frank Wren will almost undoubtedly be looking for bullpen help at the July 31 trade deadline.
With that said, here’s a look at five players the Braves could trade for with the emphasis on bullpen help.