Heating Up

With the deadline now just over a month away, we'll be focusing a lot of attention on the trade market and the names rumored to be on the move. The Braves Jared Saltalamacchia is one of the more intriguing ones.

The young catcher is stuck behind Brian McCann on the Braves depth chart and won't be passing him anytime soon as McCann continues to produce and inked a long-term deal this past offseason. So, needless to say, his name has been tossed around. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Saltalamacchia is drawing a large amount of interest from the Pirates.

Personally, I'm of the belief that the Braves need to keep this kid, who is only 22 and hitting .319 in limited action this year. They could move him to first as the Braves don't have any permanent fixtures there.

If they do decide to deal him though, they'd better ask for the king's ransom as "Salty", is one of the most promising prospects around. If Pirates GM Dave Littlefield is truly desperate for a player of this caliber, than John Schuerholz needs to ask for either Tom Gorzelanny or Ian Snell, as well as Ryan Doumit and either Matt Capps or Damaso Marte.

Anything short of that would be a mistake for Schuerholz and a huge loss for the Braves as Saltalamacchia is going to be special.