http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5379421

 

The second half hasn't begun yet, but the Atlanta Braves made a trade Wednesday to try to stay atop their NL East perch.

 

The Braves acquired shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who has 17 home runs at the All-Star break, on Wednesday in a five-player trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

 

Atlanta sent shortstop Yunel Escobar and left-handed pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes to Toronto and received Gonzalez and two minor leaguers (shortstop Tyler Pastornicky and pitcher Tim Collins).

 

"This trade improves our club for the second half of the season," Braves general manager Frank Wren said in a statement. "We have been looking at ways to strengthen our club offensively and Alex Gonzalez is a proven veteran player who gives us added power. He is a winner and a solid offensive presence in the lineup as well as a quality defensive shortstop."

 

Gonzalez, 33, is batting .259 and had 50 RBIs for the Blue Jays. His 43 extra-base hits at the break were tied for fifth-most in the American League.

 

The 27-year-old Escobar is a career .291 hitter but is struggling this season with a .238 average. Last season, he hit .299 in 141 games, achieving career bests in home runs (14) and RBIs (76).

Uh, WHAT?

 

You can't be f***ing serious. What a steal for Toronto.

Escobar will be under team control for another three years. Seriously, WTF were they thinking?

Yeah, unless those two prospects Atlanta got are really something, this is a pretty one sided trade in favor of Toronto. Atlanta must really think they can do big things this year I guess, although I'm not sure I exactly trust Gonzalez to keep up his current pace the rest of the year, particularly in the Atlanta ballpark. And it's not like he's been great, he's right about .259 (as the quote mentions)/.300/.500/.800 IIRC.

Edited July 14, 201015 yr by whitesoxfan101

Gonzalez can play some good D still, but that bat of his won't continue to rattle off a .500 SLG.

Can't believe they gave away a 27 year old guy who just came off a 4 WAR season at the SS position. That kind of production is hard as hell to find.

 

He's also improved his defense a lot, the bat will come back. This reminds me a lot of the Alex Rios deal last year. Of course, Escobar doesn't have the terrible contract, but it's like the Braves just gave up a guy in his prime because of one bad half season.

 

I think there's also been some stuff about how Cox doesn't like Escobar or that he's too lazy. Something of that sort. Still, Cox is gone next year, new manager comes in, who knows what happens. Bottom line, you don't give up a phenom at a premium position for an overachieving veteran and some prospects.

Is Gonzalez even a better defender than Escobar? Yunel is pretty good over there, I'd guess top 5 in baseball defensively at SS.

Edited July 14, 201015 yr by whitesoxfan101

I remember hearing that Escobar has been grinding Bobby Cox's gear for a while with his struggles, mental lapses, and attitude, so I bet that played a major part on it.

 

Jon Heyman's twitter:

SI_JonHeyman bobby cox has to be thrilled to be rid of underachieving space cadet yunel escobar. alex gonzalez is a nice early going away gift for cox.

I remember hearing that Escobar has been grinding Bobby Cox's gear for a while with his struggles, mental lapses, and attitude, so I bet that played a major part on it.

 

Jon Heyman's twitter:

SI_JonHeyman bobby cox has to be thrilled to be rid of underachieving space cadet yunel escobar. alex gonzalez is a nice early going away gift for cox.

 

Are they seriously going to let a manager that's retiring next year make a decision for them that could affect the team for the next three years? I don't care if he's Bobby Cox, that's not a good idea.

Is Gonzalez even a better defender than Escobar? Yunel is pretty good over there, I'd guess top 5 in baseball defensively at SS.

 

He's been great this year. Plus/Minus has him at +11, UZR at +4. Gonzalez is like a +3. Not a huge difference between the two. But this is such a shortsighted move by the Braves.

He's struggled in the majors but Jo Jo Reyes isnt a bad arm to pick up either. Wow, nicely done by Toronto

Toronto picked up Gonzalez for a cheap deal this year too. They've literally gotten two very good young pieces in Lewis and Escobar for virtually nothing this year.

Are they seriously going to let a manager that's retiring next year make a decision for them that could affect the team for the next three years? I don't care if he's Bobby Cox, that's not a good idea.

 

This thread has 11 posts and you have 6 of them lol including bak to back posts 3 times, sit back and relax some. The Braves definitely overpaid but if Gonzalez continues the production he has given so far this season I dont think they regret it.

My guess is that Escobar must have really pissed somebody in the Braves organization off with his attitude.

 

Link

 

 

My guess is that Escobar must have really pissed somebody in the Braves organization off with his attitude.

 

Link

 

As soon as I heard about this trade I thought right away...damn he must have made someone mad over there.

Yeah, unless those two prospects Atlanta got are really something, this is a pretty one sided trade in favor of Toronto. Atlanta must really think they can do big things this year I guess, although I'm not sure I exactly trust Gonzalez to keep up his current pace the rest of the year, particularly in the Atlanta ballpark. And it's not like he's been great, he's right about .259 (as the quote mentions)/.300/.500/.800 IIRC.

I don't see him listed by BA or BP, but the Hardball times has Tyler Pastornicky (SS) as the Jays' #4 guy coming into this season. 21 year old SS in high A, 5th round pick. Tim Collins is an undrafted LH reliever that made it to AA by age 19 last year and was an All Star in high A last year as well. BA rated him as having the Jays' org's best curve ball.

 

I think the Braves got some reasonable minor league pieces back in this deal too.

FanGraphs doesn't have either on their top 10 lists.

FanGraphs doesn't have either on their top 10 lists.

They're lower level/lower age people, so they're at best a couple years away probably, but I would bet that the Braves liked these 2 guys.

Neyer

For me, the obvious takeaway is the Braves have become really, really, really disenchanted with Escobar, who for three seasons was considered one of the game's best young shortstops. Has he suddenly forgotten how to hit? He hasn't forgotten how to field. Or at least his numbers are solid, which mildly suggests he's not playing (badly) hurt.

 

We've got a mystery on our hands. The Braves think they've already got it figured out. The Blue Jays must think so, too. They can't really both be right. While it's a five-player deal and we're all optimistic about Tim Collins, essentially this is a classic "challenge trade": our shortstop for your shortstop and next year we'll figure who was right.

 

My money's on the Jays. But as Pawlikowski points out elsewhere, the Braves have done this sort of thing before and they've usually been right.

I don't think it matters that Cox is gone after the year; maybe the Braves think Yunel's head will never be in the game. Can't discount that thought.

 

Also, with the NL being so wide open for the taking this year, I think the Braves made a pretty solid, playoff-type move. Philly looks beatable for the first time, and the Reds n Padres lead the other divisions.

The Braves made this move to put them over the hump for this year. The NL is really up in the air, especially once the playoffs start. Escobar missed time due to some sort of injury early in the year (I can't remember exactly what, but ironically I dropped Yunel for Alex in my money fantasy league, and I've kept Alex since) when he came back, he never really produced offensively and he's been benched multiple times for pissing off Bobby Cox one way or another. The Braves see an opportunity to win this year and they're going for it. It's a pretty lateral move defensively, but if Gonzalez even comes close to how he's been producing offensively, it's a huge upgrade to the lineup. Everything I've read suggests that Gonzalez will regress, but he's been incredibly consistent since day 1 of the season, maybe it's his career year and the Braves will capitalize on it.

This thread has 11 posts and you have 6 of them lol including bak to back posts 3 times, sit back and relax some. The Braves definitely overpaid but if Gonzalez continues the production he has given so far this season I dont think they regret it.

 

Seems he's the only one who is screaming like his head is cut off.

Seems he's the only one who is screaming like his head is cut off.

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

My head!

Buster Olney gives the trade two thumbs up:

 

Tremendous trade for the Braves. Gonzalez has very affordable $2.5m option for 2011. Said Frank Wren on phone: "Without that, would not have made the deal." Also, the smallish lefty the Braves got in the deal is "filthy ... like a little Billy Wagner," says the person who signed him -- former Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi. This is an absolutely great trade for Atlanta. The Braves have one of the best clubhouses in baseball, and that Escobar was having problems says a whole lot about him; not many have problems with ATL.

So if Gonzalez produces in 2011 like he has in 2010, what type of FA does he become, type A? If that's the case then he would more than likely decline the 2.5 million dollar arbitration offer and try to cash in... and the Braves win even more. Is this accurate?