The Braves are a pretty popular team right now among rival clubs. With free agency getting more and more expensive, the Braves have certainly kept their ears open to offers on young players such as Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran. While the asking prices thus far have been high, it does appear that the Braves would make a move for the right player.
As it turns out, one player in particular that interests the Braves is the Cubs' young outfielder Jorge Soler
#Braves are smitten with Jorge Soler, person said. Julio Teheran likely wouldn't get it done. Could Miller spark interest from #Cubs?
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 1, 2015
Now of course, it's not really that surprising that the Braves are interested in Soler. So far they have been asking about Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Marcell Ozuna, Joe Panik, Matt Duffy, and undoubtedly other young dynamos who have years of control. It's somewhat surprising that there isn't a rumor that the Braves have asked about Mike Trout at this point (no, that would never happen). While Soler would have a certain amount of risk associated with him given his lack of a track record in the majors thus far, he is extremely highly regarded among many scouts and would certainly help this Braves team which has a lack of offensive talent at this point. The Cubs have long been thought to be a good trade partner for the Braves as they have lots of young position player prospects while the Braves have lots of pitching at their disposal.
That said, there are no indications that the clubs are close to a deal. Ultimately, Soler is highly regarded and cost-controlled and Shelby Miller is obviously a hot commodity as well. This could ultimately be a deal that lives or dies at the winter meetings when the teams will inevitably sit down and initial terms are exchanged. There is certainly a potential for a fair deal to be made, but whether each team feels as though that's the best deal they can get for their guy remains to be seen.
Also, as Carlos articulately noted earlier today, Braves' fans expectations for the return on Shelby are extremely high at the moment given the names floating around. This rumor and others like them may be just both teams doing their due diligence. The Braves are certainly going to ask for the moon for Shelby just as the Cubs are for Soler. Both may get it, but it's just as likely that neither does. We will continue to follow this story as the market develops leading up to the winter meetings next week.