Don’t let the Braves weekend series win in St. Louis fool you. As they prepare to host the All-Star Game Tuesday night, they will be in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar position: practically out of the pennant race with two-plus months to go.

The last thing general manager Alex Anthopoulos needs to do is to believe the last few games should give him hope. The hope more or less died when starter Spencer Schwellenbach went down for at least two months. That was the nail driven into the 2025 casket.

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Even in a best-case scenario, with Schwellenbach and Chris Sale returning sometime in September, the Braves have to make it to then. With basically a three-man starting rotation (Spencer Strider, Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder) right now, there’s just no way.

Plus, they still can’t hit. And now, Austin Riley is down for a while with injury. Considering the luck of this year’s team, luck that evidently carried over from last season, who knows how long Riley’s strained right abdomen will take to heal.

The rotation issues are what kill any hope, however. Starting Aaron Bummer twice to try and survive until something else comes along is not going to cut it. Bummer gave up six runs in his 4.2 innings as a starter, and he should never be allowed to be near a mound to start a game again.

This was the time when four years ago, Anthopoulos still believed in that hope. The Braves were only one game under the .500 mark and only 4.5 games out of first place. He then pulled off six trades between the end of the All-Star Break and the trade deadline.

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This year’s team is too far gone to go down that road.

Instead, Anthopoulos needs to listen to any and all offers. He’s got to admit a harsh reality that his up-the-middle infield and outfield is, all of a sudden, in bad shape. He’s got to admit trading a few of his players could reset the roster for 2026, and he’s got to admit his team, his organization needs help.

Most analysts still rank Atlanta’s farm system as one of the five worst in the sport, so immediate help to fix what has broken is not really an option. Therefore, Anthopoulos needs to search for help elsewhere.

Some may believe that Sean Murphy could be a logical replacement for Marcell Ozuna, who is soon to move on as the Atlanta designated hitter. Murphy is under contract for three more seasons and then a team option for 2029 – all at $15 million per season. But with Drake Baldwin establishing himself as a great long-term option at catcher, Anthopoulos needs to take advantage of Murphy’s rehabilitated trade value and deal him away.

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Sure, Murphy could replace Ozuna, and either he or Baldwin could be in the lineup every day next season. But Murphy is a really good catcher. Teams like San Diego and Tampa Bay have already been linked to Murphy, and a trade could bring Atlanta back an infield option for next season.

Ozuna will only fetch a mid-level prospect, considering the struggles he’s had the last two months. Raisel Iglesias, a pending free agent like Ozuna, will probably get a similar return. Relievers Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson, Rafael Montero and Enyel de los Santos would not bring back much, but for a farm system ranked so low, every prospect could help.

It's doubtful any team would want second baseman Ozzie Albies. Yes, he’s fallen that far. And since Michael Harris II has shown no improvement, he needs to spend the latter part of the summer in Triple-A Gwinnett.

Chris Sale is out until late August, but if his rib heals, he could be a huge piece for a team’s rotation in the stretch drive. Anthopoulos has said he doesn’t want to trade Sale since he’s under contract for next season, but he’s got to at least listen.

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The Braves don’t necessarily need a rebuild, but this is an opportunity for a reset. For the last couple of years, fans have wondered if this roster has too many nice players, and players who just don’t show enough fire. The perception is the clubhouse is stale, too unemotional. Well, make a few trades and the organization could look at lot different going into next season.

It will be hard for Anthopoulos to sell instead of buy. Remember, the Braves have been in the playoffs for each of his prior seven seasons as the general manager. But while injuries have been a storyline for the second season in a row, this team did start the season 0-7. That kind of showed weaknesses that Anthopoulos didn’t admit to or recognize that contributed to the poor record.

But now, Anthopoulos has a chance to make amends with this disaster of a season. He can get some new blood in this organization. He can acquire some new options that might become answers for next season. Like it or not, that’s where this team is for now.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays on The SuperStations – 103.7 FM in Savannah and online at TheSuperStations.com. Email Bill at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Atlanta Braves must be sellers at MLB trade deadline