Currently constructed, the Atlanta Braves are not a very good team. Who would have guessed that before the season started, that by mid-June, the six-time National League East champion would have holes the size of Texas on their roster.

But that is what happens when the reigning National League Most Valuable Player and arguably the best player in the game in Ronald Acuña Jr. is lost for the season.

That is what happens when the favorite for the National League Cy Young Award, Spencer Strider, is lost for the season after only the first week.

That is what happens when two vital parts of the everyday lineup in catcher Sean Murphy and third baseman Austin Riley were sidelined for extended periods during the season’s first couple of months of the season.

That is what happens when last year’s home run champ Matt Olson struggles as bad as did to start the season and is still just batting .241 with a measly nine home runs.

Lets face it, if not for Marcell Ozuna’s hot start, this average hitting team would be pedestrian at best.

Ozzie Albies is batting .259 with four home runs. Orlando Arcia is batting just .232. Michael Harris II is not much better at .248.

The team needs a capable hitting replacement for Acuña; a corner outfielder and one who can bat leadoff. They also need a serviceable fifth starter to help relieve the stress the bullpen faces when that spot is due for a start.

As I stated, this team is not very good and likely won’t be if a midseason trade is not made and made imminently. The team is mired in a slump in a way that I don’t see it coming out of unless a move is made to rejuvenate the team.

Entering Wednesday, the Braves had lost four straight, eight of their last 12 and 16 of their last 25. This team was stationed at the top or near the top of the division standings for much of the season but has floundered lately. It is 10 games back of the Phillies in the division race, so let’s erase all notions that the Braves are still fighting for the division title. They are not.

They have dropped so far that a once comfortable lead in the Wild Card standings is now closer than it should be. The Braves are plus-4 in the Wild Card standings but how long will that hold up?

The Braves appear lifeless at the moment and need a move now to light a fire in these players. At the moment, they seem incapable of doing it themselves. That’s why a move in mid-June is already vital to this season’s success.