As the Trade Deadline looms, the Braves are becoming more heavily involved on a number of fronts, with rumors of both buying and selling floating around in the media. Jerry Crasnick posted a series of tweets discussing the Braves strategy:

#Braves GM John Coppolella on the team's trade deadline approach: "We're playing in every game. But we're not the main player.'' — Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 17, 2017

The #Braves are 45-45 and on fringe of wild card race. The next 10 games vs. #Cubs, #Dodgers and #Dbacks should provide clarity. — Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 17, 2017

#Braves are prepared to be short-term sellers and long-term buyers. Will listen on Jaime Garcia, Brandon Phillips if they fade. — Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 17, 2017

In addition to discussing how the Braves intend to handle their own players with two weeks remaining until the deadline, Crasnick provides some insight into which players Atlanta could be targeting as a long-term solution at the front-end of the rotation:

#Braves like Sonny Gray because he's controllable thru 2020. But #Brewers, #Astros, maybe #Indians might be more fervent in their pursuit. — Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 17, 2017

Atlanta has been fairly clear in their intentions to pursue starting pitching with multiple years of control going forward, and Sonny Gray fits that bill. He would allow them to continue playing for this season while also stabilizing the rotation for the future. Such a move could be a precursor to a Julio Teheran trade, as multiple sources have indicated that the acquisition of a controllable starter would allow the Braves to more aggressively shop Teheran. As Crasnick notes, the Braves will have a much better idea of where they stand once they complete back-to-back series against the Cubs and Dodgers.

Stay tuned.