The Atlanta Braves are trying to cast a positive light despite their less-than-inspiring season so far. But a nagging injury adds to the doubt. And that leads to rumors, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan not ruling out a Braves’ trade of a core star.

Passan said the Braves could find themselves in a position of needing to acquire talent if they want to make a postseason run in 2025, according to espn.com.

“Their on-paper lineup is one of baseball's best,” Passan wrote. “Their top three starters — Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, and Spencer Schwellenbach — would form one whale of a postseason rotation. (The) 0-7 start hamstrung them, though, and the Braves have been just OK since.

“There's a chance Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta's aggressive president of baseball operations, sees this season not as an anomaly but as a continuation of last year and entertains moving one of the Braves' core players.”

Braves’ Alex Anthopoulos might trade a standout

It would be shocking to see Marcell Ozuna’s name come up in trade talks, Passan wrote.

“In Ozuna, an impending free agent, the Braves have perhaps the best bat that could be available,” Passan wrote.

Another possible candidate to move would be closer Raisel Iglesias. However, he’s been shaky with seven home runs allowed in 22⅓ innings.

“Beyond (those two players), everyone of value with Atlanta is under club control next year,” Passan wrote. “(That leaves) the Braves as one of the likelier candidates to stay where they are and hope they get hot at an opportune time like they did in 2021.”

Offense has been an issue this season. The Braves simply haven’t been putting enough runs on the board.

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First baseman Matt Olson said he believes the team will get things going, according to mlb.com.

“I still think we’re right on the edge of turning this thing around and playing the baseball we can play,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. ““We've played a lot of tight games here lately, and not come through on a good bit of them, and we don't feel like we're clicking at all.

“I feel like you can spin it two different ways. You can say we can't win the tight game, or you can look at it and say we're not playing really great baseball for us, and we're still in a lot of ballgames.”

Manager Brian Snitker said the lack of offense makes things tough overall.

“We just have no room for error, whether it’s a pitch, or a play, or a run, or whatever,” Snitker said. “It’s kind of hard to play the game like that.”

But Olson remained positive.

“We’ve made some good runs before,” Olson said. “I don’t see any reason we can’t do it again.”