The Atlanta Braves reshaped their bullpen on July 31, trading Rafael Montero and acquiring Tyler Kinley. See how these 2025 trade deadline moves impact the team.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It's a frantic final day of July for the Atlanta Braves, and the action isn't just happening on the field. With the trade deadline looming, the front office has been busy, executing a pair of trades to reshape a struggling bullpen and add much-needed organizational depth. The moves signal a clear focus on the future as the team navigates one of its most trying seasons in recent memory.
With a brutal 10.61 ERA in July, the writing was on the wall for reliever Rafael Montero.
The Braves made two key moves on Thursday, first sending struggling right-handed reliever Rafael Montero to the Detroit Tigers. Montero, who posted a 5.50 ERA in 36 games, was particularly ineffective in July. In return, the Braves received 24-year-old minor league infielder Jim Jarvis, who provides crucial depth in a system where Nacho Alvarez is the only top-10 infield prospect. Shortly after, Atlanta acquired righty Tyler Kinley from the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher Austin Smith. While Kinley's 5.66 ERA might not look impressive, his more promising 4.14 FIP suggests he could be a bounce-back candidate for the Braves' pitching coaches. To clear a roster spot, Enyel De Los Santos was designated for assignment.
These trades don't happen in a vacuum. They are a direct result of a season plagued by injuries and underperformance. With Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, and AJ Smith-Shawver all sidelined, the organization's shallow pitching pipeline has been exposed. The inability of the farm system to produce major-league-ready arms has forced the front office to seek external, low-cost solutions like Kinley while shedding assets like Montero. While Ronald Acuña Jr.'s MVP-caliber return has been a bright spot, the regression of other core players has put the team in the unfamiliar position of being sellers at the deadline.
While the front office plays chess, the team on the field must play baseball. The Braves (45-62) kick off a series in Cincinnati tonight against a tough Reds (57-52) team fighting for a playoff spot. Atlanta will rely on the bats of Matt Olson and Austin Riley to counter the Reds' dynamic offense, led by superstar Elly De La Cruz. For a clubhouse likely filled with rumors and uncertainty about who might be traded next, focusing on the game at hand will be a significant challenge.
With the 6 p.m. ET deadline rapidly approaching, the phones in the Braves' front office are likely still ringing off the hook. Will Marcell Ozuna or Raisel Iglesias be wearing a different uniform tonight? Will more relievers be shipped out? The next few hours will define the rest of this challenging season and set the stage for 2026. And amidst it all, there's still a baseball game to be played in Cincinnati.
