An emergency trade between the Braves and the White Sox to regain the Mets’ wild card

The Atlanta Braves have had a firm grip on the top spot in the National League Wild Card all season. Injuries to Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr., among others, have limited the Braves’ participation in the NL East.

Now, for the first time in weeks, the Braves have fallen from the top wild card position, overtaken by their division rivals, the New York Mets. Atlanta will have to respond at the trade deadline if they want to compete in the National League.

After losing Acuña, Atlanta was in need of an outfielder. They haven’t signed one yet, but they still have a few days before the deadline. One interesting option is Chicago White Sox veteran Tommy Pham. Pham would be a cheap option that Atlanta has been looking for.

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Pham, 36, is hitting .267/.333/.382 with an OPS+ just over 100. The veteran is on an expiring contract and would cost the Braves virtually nothing in terms of prospect capital.

The most intriguing aspect of Pham’s game is his ability to platoon. Against left-handed pitchers, Pham is hitting .255/.377/.471 in 2024, good for an OPS that’s nearly .200 higher against lefties than righties. Over the course of his lengthy major league career, Pham has hit .270/.381/.454 against lefties.

This deal would be a simple one-for-one trade that sends a backend top 30 prospect from the Braves farm system to the White Sox for Pham. Pham is on an expiring deal and is worth negative WAR for the season. The White Sox have no leverage whatsoever in a negotiation for him.

Keller, 20, is exactly the kind of prospect Chicago is looking for. He’s a 20-year-old right-handed pitcher who’s still finding his feet in professional baseball. He’s struggled in his short professional baseball career, but the idea here is that he’s still young and highly projectable. If he can learn to find the zone more often, he could work his way up through the minor leagues.

The idea here is that the Braves need an outfielder. Pham is one of the cheapest options on the market and he could work well with some of the players in the Braves’ current outfield.