As reported in the stalwart Sports Xchange, the Braves are making moves to their roster that may suggest a possible trade is imminent. First baseman Mark Teixeira is the big name that's been bandied about in baseball, and (except for Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday, who will either go close to the deadline or not at all) is the Last Man Standing as far as frontline trade candidates go.
What are the Braves doing? They sold reliever Mike Hesop to the J-Ball Hanshin Tigers, and moved Anthony Lerew from the DL to AAA Richmond. This may not mean anything, but it also might mean they're just tidying things up to make a space for any acquisitions, the way you might clear out your in-box before that big project hits your desk.
One of the potential destinations of Teixeira has been the Arizona Diamondbacks, in return for Conor Jackson or Chad Tracy, both fan favorites, but this seems unlikely, unless Arizona thinks it can sign Tex to a long-term deal. They could certainly use another bat, but why make a move for Tex, so soon after snatching up the venerable Tony Clark from San Diego?
Plenty of teams would love to have the switch-hitting Teixeira, but Atlanta's John Schuerholz is shrewd in his deal-making, so they're not going to move him just to move him. IF there's no good deals out there, he won't take it. But as the deadline approaches, the pressure increases for other teams to make a deal, and Schuerholz is happy to bide his time and let the offers roll in.
If and when Tex moves, it will mean the official end of the Trading Season, at least as far as the big names go. And it means we can all focus on the rest of the season, and the race down the stretch for the pennant.
Keywords: Anthony Lerew, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Brian Fuentes, Chad Tracy, Conor Jackson, John Schuerholz, Mark Teixeira, Matt Holliday, Mike Hesop
