The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.
Braves get: RHP Tyler Mahle
Giants get: RHP Anthony Molina
Why not?
Braves: C+
Giants: C
A day after losing Reynaldo Lopez to knee inflammation, the Braves found another well-traveled righty to take his spot. It’s a low-risk, limited-reward move best described in two words: Why not?
Mahle, who turns 32 next month, uses “mahlebusmostwanted” as his Instagram handle, apparently after the movie “Malibu’s Most Wanted.” Type that into a search engine, and here’s the AI review: “worth watching only if you enjoy early 2000s cringy, culture-clash comedies and nostalgic, brainless humor.”
That’s a low bar, and this trade clears it for the Braves – but not by much. The Giants signed Mahle for one year and $10 million, and he’s having the worst of his 10 seasons, with a 5.13 ERA in 18 starts.
Encouragingly, though, Mahle has been better lately. He has a 3.79 ERA in seven starts since returning from a hamstring injury in June, and two starts ago he beat the Milwaukee Brewers with six scoreless innings. Mahle has a four-seam fastball that averages 92.6 mph, and also features a splitter and cutter.
For the Giants, there’s not much to get excited about with the return. Molina is a 24-year-old right-hander who pitched for Venezuela’s WBC title team this spring, has made 55 appearances in the majors, all but three with the Colorado Rockies. He can’t blame Coors Field for his poor numbers, though – Molina has a 4.79 career ERA at home, but 10.37 on the road.
Molina is younger and cheaper than Mahle, and the Giants aren’t going anywhere this season. Might as well take a look. Again: why not? — Tyler Kepner
A modest addition at minimal cost
Braves: C+
Giants: C-
Look, it’s fine. The Giants basically dumped some salary, and the Braves gave up a former Rule 5 pick with a career 6.89 ERA. No one is going to pretend this is a big splash that deserves high marks for anyone.
For the Braves, there is at least some upside. They could use a starter, and Mahle was good for the Rangers last season (2.18 ERA in 16 starts). He’s not been nearly as good this year, but he has a 3.79 ERA since returning from a strained hamstring at the end of June. Even last year, Mahle didn’t get a ton of swing and miss, but he’s a veteran starter who gives the Braves some back-end rotation depth. Which they needed. It’s not the worst addition, and Mahle didn’t cost any prospect capital, but surely the Braves have bigger targets on their radar. — Chad Jennings
