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Kyle Schwarber has been a thorn in the Atlanta Braves' side in the NL East for years now. Before signing with the Phillies for the 2022 season, Schwarber spent half a season with the Nationals before getting traded to Boston and helping them make a run all the way to the ALCS in 2021. As it turns out, the Braves were very close to being the team that ended up with Schwarber that season instead.
During a radio interview on 680 The Fan's Chuck and Chernoff, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos was talking about the trade deadline and how quickly deals can come together or collapse altogether. One example he gave was that, back in 2021, the Braves thought they were about to close a trade for Schwarber, but it fell apart, and Atlanta was forced to pivot to Jorge Soler.
To say that that fateful decision changed the course of franchise history is not an exaggeration.
Nationals' last-minute balk at trading Kyle Schwarber to the Braves may have handed Atlanta a World Series title
Now, we don't know what Anthopoulos was willing to give up to land Schwarber. It was honestly a miracle that he gave up Schwarber's name at all given Anthopoulos' preference to play things close to the vest. Those are details that do matter, but all we know is that the Braves were deep in talks before Washington ultimately balked at the deal. Now, it is absolutely accurate that a high-profile trade between division rivals not working out isn't a surprise, but it is wild to think about the ramifications of that fateful decision.
The 2021 trade deadline proved to be the most consequential of Anthopoulos' entire tenure and was a huge factor in Atlanta winning the World Series that year. Had the Braves traded for Schwarber, we wouldn't have gotten Soler's heroics in the playoffs. Hell, there is no guarantee that the Braves would have made the playoffs at all, especially if adding Schwarber would have changed Anthopoulos' decision to acquire Eddie Rosario. Can you imagine a world without Soler's monster homer that helped secure Atlanta's first championship since 1995? It is wild to think about.
Another thing that Anthopoulos was 1000% correct about is that everything can change at the trade deadline. Deals are not done until there is ink on paper and a team can go from a fringe contender to a frontrunner with as little as a single trade. It is clear that AA understands the opportunity that the trade deadline provides the team, but he knows as well as anyone that closing the deal is anything but easy or a given.
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This article was originally published on housethathankbuilt.com as Reveal of Braves' failed Kyle Schwarber pursuit a reminder of trade deadline opportunity.
