The Atlanta Braves have a catching surplus with the talents of Brian McCann, Gerard Laird and the surprising Evan Gattis. These guys play well behind the plate, have called games brilliantly, for the most part and are swinging the bats well. As trade rumors are set to eventually explode, will teams offer anything that will at least make the Braves think about trading one of their guys? The Braves will trade one of these guys if ...?
There are no ifs, nor buts. The Braves shouldn't even think of breaking up this combination that has been working so well for Fredi Gonzalez and the first place Braves. Atlanta is 11 games over .500 and they are cruising in the East with a 4.5-game lead over the Washington Nationals, who were expected to dominate the division with their pitching and hitting.
However, the emergence of Gattis, who is tied for first among catchers with 12 home runs has bolstered the Braves to victories over and over again in 2013. Gattis is clutch and he has an amazing story. There's no way you can't root for this guy. Well, unless he's blasting home runs against your team of course. Gattis has a bright fturue ahead of him as long as he's able to continue making adjustments at the big league level.
McCann has emerged from the disabled list as one of the more dominant players in the past few weeks. On Tuesday, he blasted two home runs against the Toronto Blue Jays, the second being the game-winner in extra innings. McCann already has six home runs in 57 at-bats and the Braves have been playing better baseball as the pitching is getting a boost from one of the better catchers in the game.
As for Laird, he won't provide the flashy pop like Gattis and McCann, but the way he turned Julio Teheran's season around has been a great story for the Braves. Laird, the 11-year veteran is handling business behind the plate. Teheran is 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA and hasn't allowed more than four runs in a game since his third start of the year on April 18 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 22-year-old Colombian feels comfortable with Laird and there is no reason to break up that relationship.
The Braves could use some help in the bullpen as a couple of their guys have gone down. That is their biggest hole. However, remember, Brandon Beachy is soon to come off the disabled list and the Braves will once again have a six-man rotation. With Teheran being dominant and Mike Minor pitching as if possessed by an ace, the Braves don't have the luxury of demoting any one of these guys. At least not yet.
Their Braves outfield and infield are stacked with useful utility men. So if the Braves want to fix anything, after being plagued by injuries, then the bullpen will be the only thing that might make sense, but even so, the Braves catching trio has suddenly become the heart of the team.
