Twins' $100M 2-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner open to waiving no-trade clause for Braves

Hunter Cookston

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Twins' $100M 2-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner open to waiving no-trade clause for Braves image

The Atlanta Braves are coming off an unexpected season where many things could have gone differently. However, injuries are never easy to manage, and for the Braves, it was an absolute nightmare. Going into the offseason, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos knows exactly what needed to be addressed.

“Anthopoulos said shortstop, bullpen and rotation are among the areas they'll discuss addressing this winter. The hope is still to retain Ha-Seong Kim, but lots of factors there,” AJC’s Gabe Burns wrote.

While an outfielder isn’t on that list, the Braves could target a local talent looking for a change of scenery from the Minnesota Twins. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel have named the Braves as a fit, and the player is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause.

“Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade clause -- and not just for Atlanta (he's a Georgia native) -- which puts the Twins in an interesting position. If the paucity of front-line free agent outfielders prompts a team to make an offer for Buxton, how seriously would Minnesota take it,” McDaniel and Passan wrote.

Of course, the thought is that the current outfield is adequate. However, Michael Harris fell into a severe slump last season, and Jurickson Profar hasn’t won the crowd back since his PED suspension at the beginning of the season.

“Atlanta keeping Profar doesn't change the fact that the outfielder will still be on thin ice. The veteran is going to need more than a handful of nice moments to win back a frustrated fan base. It will take a solid season of production and help push the franchise back into the postseason chase. Until the outfielder is traded or this happens, there is still going to be a level of frustration with the poor choice Profar made. Something that will continue to define the outfielder's time in Atlanta for the foreseeable future,” ATL All Day’s Nick Halden wrote.

Going all out for Buxton isn’t a bad move at all. When healthy, he is one of the most reliable players in the game. With the addition of Antoan Richardson as the baserunning instructor, Buxton could become even more electric on the basepaths.

It also brings another veteran presence to the clubhouse, one that is highly respected. Overall, it makes a lot of sense for the Braves to pursue Buxton.

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