Braves and Pirates Should Ignite MLB With This Surprise Trade and Clear Space for Austin Riley

The Atlanta Braves, out of a somewhat-misguided attempt to keep some veterans who've served them well happy, have a bit of an overstuffed outfield.

Ender Inciarte, robbed of much of his effectiveness by injuries in 2019, seems to be the most expendable member of their current crew, with Nick Markakis also remaining in ATL on a redundant deal in right.

Veteran leadership is quite meaningful, but it shouldn't come at the expense of inserting a young power bat in the lineup. We think we have a solution here, which would net Atlanta pitching, as well as clear a different spot for the versatile Austin Riley: Inciarte's two years of control (and a team option) and Johan Camargo head to Pittsburgh, in exchange for breakout righty Joe Musgrove and Pirates No. 8 prospect Sammy Siani, an outfielder in rookie ball.

If this deal's completed, the stuck-in-between Pirates get a third base upgrade on Colin Moran, who can shift to a more effective part-time role. Adding Inciarte's controllable years also gives them an excuse to ship out the overpaid and ineffective Gregory Polanco, potentially to a desperate AL team.

Atlanta can still solidify their infield defense by deploying Charlie Culberson, who they've re-signed to a minor-league pact, but this would allow an outfield of Acuña Jr., Ozuna, and Markakis to take the field daily, with Riley, a breakout candidate in Dansby Swanson at short, Ozzie Albies, and Freddie Freeman making up the infield. Quickly, top prospects Drew Waters and Cristian Pache will also have to join the outfield mix, after all.

And don't sleep on Musgrove, a projectable presence in a rotation (157 K in 170.1 innings in 2019) with a back end based mainly on veteran lottery tickets (Cole Hamels and Felix Hernandez). He's a solid middle ground between Atlanta's many top prospects and broken-down vets.

No matter the methodology, getting Riley in the lineup every day will be essential for the Bravos, with Josh Donaldson now departed.

This could get it done smoothly, with a nice bonus on the mound involved, too.