The Atlanta Braves haven’t gotten the expected results from some of their players. And injuries continue to hurt their momentum. But the Braves are still in the World Series mix, and they must make this trade offer for the Twins’ Joe Ryan.
Not only do the Braves need to add a bat, but Ryan is also a must-get because of the massive injury concerns in the Braves’ starting rotation. He would instantly slot as potentially the second-best starter for the Braves.
What would SP Joe Ryan bring to the Braves?
Control and bat-miss pitching are two keys, according to ESPN.
“Ryan looks better than ever this season,” Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan wrote. “Here are the pitchers with better K-BB% this year: Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes, Jacob deGrom, and Cristopher Sanchez. That’s it.
“Calling him a front-line starter is not just Minnesota Nice. It’s a reality, and contenders — even ones with good rotations — will be lining up the moment the Twins declare Ryan available.”
Ryan brings big-time extension, a lower slot angle, and has solid lift to his fastball. Combined with good command, he’s succeeding consistently.
“It was called an ‘invisiball’ early in his pro career, and it is along the same lines as the biggest advantages that Bryan Woo or Spencer Strider have, among others,” McDaniel and Passan wrote. “Ryan gets a strong separation of his arsenal — four-seamer, two-seamer, splitter, slider, sweeper, and curve — covering basically all of the possible spots on a pitch movement graph. This is the highest evolution of a pitcher combining deception/angles/deep pitch mix.”
For the season, Ryan is 4-3 with an ERA of 3.17. His WHIP is 0.996, and he leads the major leagues with 15 games started. He’s consistent, durable, and tough.
That takes care of everything the Braves need in an injury-plagued season.
What would the Braves need to offer for Joe Ryan?
First, the Braves have to be careful. While Ryan would be a key piece in a playoff and perhaps postseason run, the Braves have to get healthy in other areas. Unless they trade for CJ Abrams, they need Ronald Acuña Jr. back in short order. And that’s probably not going to happen for a while.
Therefore, the Braves can be aggressive in pursuing Ryan. But they can’t empty the top end of the farm system.
The trade offer could start with JR Ritchie. He struggled against the Giants on Wednesday, giving up five runs in five innings. But he has a major-league arm, and he could be the centerpiece of a trade.
Ritchie has the stuff, according to MLB.com.
“He can crank his fastball up to 97 mph, and it averaged close to 94 mph, with Ritchie throwing both a four-seamer up and a two-seamer with sink that got ground-ball outs,” MLB.com wrote. “He backs the heater up with a low-80s biting slider and an effective low-80s changeup sold well with his arm speed. He’s expanded his arsenal to also include a low-80s curveball and a 90-mph cutter to give hitters different looks. None are plus, but he did a solid job all year getting swing-and-miss as well as chase with all of his offerings.”
Of course, even though Rithcie is younger and full of potential, the Braves would need to offer a significant hitter. And that’s where things get tricky. The Twins will likely want a player who can get to the big leagues in 2027, at least. And the best Braves minor-league hitters are too young.
The solution might be a second top-notch pitcher. And Luke Sinnard might fit the bill. He’s tabbed as a 2027 arrival, according to MLB.com.
“Sinnard’s stuff all seems to be trending in the right direction,” MLB.com wrote. “His velocity continues to tick up. (And) his fastball has always played up with high spin rates and carry to miss bats, and he added a sinking 2-seamer late in the year. His upper-80s slider has cutter-like action. It’s short and hard, and it elicited close to a 35 percent miss rate at all stops last year. His low-80s splitter gives him an effective offspeed offering that also misses bats.
“All of his stuff comes from Sinnard’s 6-foot-8 frame and high three-quarters arm slot, making it hard for hitters to pick up the ball. He tends to be around the zone, and the next step in putting Tommy John surgery (2023) behind him is refining his command so he can be a starter long-term.”
If the Twins demand a bat, the Braves could drop in with Luis Guanipa. He’s a 20-year-old outfielder who ranks No. 19 on the Braves’ prospect list.
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