Over the last few days, the Braves rumor mill concerning what they are going to do in the MLB draft has been swirling. First, the Braves were linked to prep outfielder Royce Lewis as the most logical best player available based on the information available on who the teams above them were going to pick. Then, with the news that the Twins seem to prefer Brendan McKay at 1-1, that meant there was the likely scenario that Vandy ace Kyle Wright (who no of us thought might be available at 5) could go to the Braves.
Both of those scenarios are still in play, but Jonathan Mayo from MLB Pipeline has some juicy tidbits about some other plans the Braves are exploring
Latest @MLBDraft buzz from @JonathanMayo:
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 11, 2017
#Rays, #Braves could cut deals
Bubba Thompson linked to @RaysBaseballhttps://t.co/XORrLxuEAi pic.twitter.com/vl9k4pPWbx
In terms of under slot options they are exploring, prep arm Shane Baz (a name that has come up repeatedly with the Braves this draft season) has been mentioned. Mayo also reports that prep bats Nick Pratto and Tristan Lutz are in play as well as college bats Adam Haseley and Keston Hiura.
It is worth mentioning that Mayo’s report states that Pratto, Lutz, and Hiura have all worked out for the Braves recently in Atlanta. If the Braves were able to cut an under slot deal with the 5th overall pick, it could enable them to sign a player such as prep bat Mark Vientos or college arm Tristan Beck to over slot deals later in the draft.
In short, we still don’t know anything about what the Braves are going to do and things just keep getting more and more interesting.