The Braves Believed They Had a Trade In Place for Kyle Schwarber at the 2021 Trade Deadline Before Having To Pivot to Jorge Soler at the Last Minute

I can't imagine there has been another situation in Major League history where a team acquired what would become the World Series MVP for that organization in that season and it was only because what may have still been a better deal fell through.

But that's what Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed in an interview on Monday when discussing the upcoming trade deadline. Anthopoulos said Atlanta believed it had a deal done to acquire Kyle Schwarber from the Washington Nationals before it ultimately fell through with 30 minutes until the deadline and the Braves ultimately acquired Jorge Soler at the 11th hour.

Soler became a Braves legend in just three months, eventually hitting the three-run homer that would be the only runs Atlanta needed in the deciding game of the 2021 World Series and earning MVP honors. He slashed .269/.358/.524 with 14 HR and 33 RBI in his 55 regular season games with Atlanta, while Schwarber slashed .291/.435/.522 with 7 HR and 18 RBI in 41 games for the Red Sox in the latter part of 2021.

Obviously, no Braves fan is wishing away any part of the 2021 Postseason run, particularly Jorge Soler's heroics. But just imagine if Schwarber is an equally integral part of that World Series team and the four-year, $79 million contract he signed with the Phillies is with Atlanta instead. The Braves hit an MLB record 307 home runs in 2023 and were the only squad to ever feature four 35-homer players. Schwarber hit 47 for Philadelphia that year. Put him at the top of the lineup for this year's team and they might not have lost a game until June.

It's a fun what-if, but thankfully this worked out for everybody. I would have loved to see those 2021 Red Sox in the World Series instead of the cheating scumbag Astros, but the good guys came out on top in the end.