With a little over a month remaining until the MLB Trade Deadline, the questions get more and more frequent regarding the future of staff ace Julio Teheran. On Saturday night, Teheran twirled yet another gem, yet his win-loss record may be the most deceiving of all. In 16 starts, Teheran has just three wins, but sports 2.46 ERA. He’s allowed 2 runs or fewer in 10 of his 16 starts and continues to build on his strong September. But with so many fan favorites traded over the last year-and-a-half, it’s only logical for Braves fans to wonder if Teheran will still be wearing a Braves uniform in early August.

I for one, do not think the Braves will trade him. Nor should they. A big part of Atlanta’s rebuild has centered around starting pitching. Teheran is under team control for three more years and owed roughly 25 million dollars. To put that in some perspective, Clayton Kershaw is making 32 million dollars…this year alone! Now, let’s get one thing clear. I’m certainly not saying Julio Teheran is Clayton Kersahw. But, what it shows you is the price of starting pitching these days, especially on the free agent market. When all’s said and done, Teheran’s contract may be looked upon as one of the best the organization has ever inked. Again, all the more reason to continue to build the rotation around Teheran.

Speaking of starting pitching, how about the job Bud Norris has done since re-joining the rotation?! In five starts, Norris has posted a 2.15 ERA with just 8 walks and 29 strikeouts. Since a disappointing month of April, Norris has posted a 2.08 ERA over his last 17 appearances (including those 5 starts), lowering his ERA from 7.92 to .422 over that span. With his resurgence, Norris’ name has also surfaced in trade rumors of late. Once Atlanta gets Mike Foltynewicz back, likely within the next two weeks, Norris may become expendable. I wouldn’t expect a major return, but with the Front Office wanting to continue to develop young players, Folty would likely get a chance to prove himself once again. Time will tell, but a trade of Norris wouldn’t surprise me in the least. For now though, the Braves will certainly look forward to every fifth day when he takes the mound.

Kevin McAlpin covers the Braves for the @BravesRadioNet. Follow Kevin on Twitter @KevinMcAlpin