Brewers’ division rival trades first-round catcher to Braves before Milwaukee’s crucial series in Atlanta

The Milwaukee Brewers have opened up a sizable lead in the NL Central, clear of all of their division rivals by at least five games and +100 in the run differential category. To call what they're doing dominant -- in arguably the league's best division, no less -- would be a wild understatement.

As such, the Crew have their sights set on something more than just their fifth division title in six years; rather, an attempt to usurp one of the National League's two bye seeds is now the franchise's prime directive for the regular season. And, as the scheduling gods likely foretold, they'll get a chance to jump into that position this weekend when they take on the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.

This should make for a great series between two legitimate World Series contenders, though the Braves may have a trick up their sleeves: new catcher Joey Bart.

Bart will attempt to solve the revolving door at backup catcher Atlanta has dealt with all season long, though the timing of this is pretty cruel. One has to imagine that the Pittsburgh Pirates felt a little extra incentive to do this deal knowing the Brewers and Braves were scheduled to play this weekend.

Joey Bart faces difficult task if he plays against Brewers' dual aces this weekend

With Drake Baldwin only recently coming back from a medium-term oblique injury, Bart could be pressed into action over the weekend with his new team. He struggled this year in Pittsburgh, though he was an above-average hitter in each of the past two seasons. Likewise, he's hit the Brewers decently well throughout his career, mashing four homers and 11 RBIs in 24 career games against the Crew.

If Bart does play (he's not in tonight's starting lineup), he's likely to get a rude awakening in his new home. The Brewers have lined up the big guns in their rotation for this series, putting Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison in position to start the first two games of the set. Robert Gasser is expected to draw the finale, which could represent a softer landing if Baldwin is healthy enough to start two contests in a row.

In response, the Braves will roll out their own assembly line of dominant pitchers, starting with Martin Pérez (who has been a revelation this year with a 2.90 ERA) against Miz. They'll follow that up with NL Cy Young contender Chris Sale vs. Harrison, before wrapping up the series with top right-hander Bryce Elder against Gasser.

The entire weekend should be filled with great pitching and exciting young players, with the winner likely coming away with the No. 2 seed in the NL.

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