Markakis, Francoeur among potential Braves trades

ATLANTA — Because he has not traded Freddie Freeman, Braves general manager John Coppolella still has the option to use his right arm as he texts and calls other baseball executives leading up to Monday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline.

While Coppolella has said he would rather trade his right arm than Freeman, he has not officially said the same about Julio Teheran. But he has spent the past couple weeks making it clear to fans, media members and fellow general managers that he will not trade Teheran.

Given the demand for starting pitchers and the prices that teams are paying to acquire front-line starting pitchers, there is at least reason to wonder if the Braves will be presented an offer they can’t refuse for Teheran. But as of Friday evening, it looked like the plan remained for the All-Star right-hander to remain in Atlanta.

Still, the Braves will continue to look at ways to enrich their future before Monday’s Trade Deadline. Though they would like to add a catcher, and have at least inquired about the Brewers’ Jonathan Lucroy, the Braves seem much more likely to fill their needs for a catcher and power hitter during the offseason, when they could have at least $60 million to spend.

Because Lucroy will be eligible for free agency at the …

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