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The Atlanta Braves have reportedly been in contact with the Texas Rangers about third baseman Adrian Beltre. However, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that Atlanta is still focused on finding pitching help.
#Braves more focused on adding pitching than Beltre, per sources - Camargo good defender, higher OPS than Beltre (.789-.747) in similar number of at-bats. ATL, however, is looking to upgrade bench, whether now or in August. Beltre a consideration for right acquisition cost.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2018
As Rosenthal points out, Johan Camargo has played well since taking over as the team’s primary third baseman. A guy like Beltre would be a positive influence as a right-handed bat and as a leader in the locker room. However, Beltre holds all the cards as he must approve any trade and was reportedly undecided on whether or not to do so Saturday.
Still, pitching upgrades appear to be the Braves’ most pressing need. The rotation has had difficulty of late pitching past the fifth or sixth inning. That has put increased pressure and workload on a pen that has been leaky at best for sometime.
The Braves shouldn’t ignore a clear bench upgrade if one is presented but the biggest need is a familiar one and to this point one they have been unable to fix.