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| 3rd June, 2009 - 8:29 pm | Brian Reynolds/RealGM - The Atlanta Braves made some noise around the major leagues on Wednesday when they dealt three of their highly regarded prospects for All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth.
In return, Atlanta sent right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton, left-handed pitcher Jeff Locke and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez to Pittsburgh.
It’s been a busy couple of days for Braves General Manager Frank Wren. On Tuesday, Wren sent struggling center fielder Jordan Schafer to Triple-A Gwinnett. Then, he released future Hall-of-Famer and fan-favorite, Tom Glavine, just hours before trading for McLouth.
“We’re excited,” Wren said, “He really fills some voids that we have and have had since Furcal left. He’s a gold-glove center fielder. He gives us power, speed, and defense. It’s a guy that we really needed.”
So far this season, McLouth is batting .256 with nine home runs and a.470 slugging percentage. He will replace Schafer in center and will provide a much needed boost of power for a team that ranks 26th in baseball in home runs. McLouth has four more home runs than any player in the Braves lineup. He will likely bat leadoff for Bobby Cox’s club.
The knock on the trade for Atlanta is that they have too many left-handed bats. It was thought that a right-handed power bat would fit much better into the lineup than another lefty. Atlanta already has Kelly Johnson, Brian McCann, Casey Kotchman, and Garret Anderson who are everyday players that bat from the left side of the plate.
McLouth is signed for the next four years and Wren is comfortable with the price tag that he comes with. He will make $2 million this year, $4.5 million next year, $6.5 million in 2011 and is a team option for $10 million in 2012. He is 27.
“He is signed at a rate that makes a lot of sense for the club,” Wren said.
Atlanta does give away some good talent in the deal. Gorkys Hernandez is a nice prospect who plays center field. A lot of teams are high on Hernandez’s potential. However, with Schafer and now McLouth, the Braves had the depth to let him go.
“When you get a player of [McLouth’s] caliber, it hurts a little bit, because you have to give up good players, but we have the depth in the organization [to make a deal].”
Morton started 15 games for Atlanta last year and went 4-8 with a 6.15 ERA. He could find a spot in Pittsburgh’s rotation relatively soon. Locke is a prospect that is at least a couple years away from the big leagues.
All and all, it’s a good move for Atlanta. It shows their fans that they are ready to compete for the division title this year. It is a move that is kind of similar to when they traded for Mark Teixeira a couple years ago.
Grade for the Braves: B+
Pittsburgh fans have to be frustrated as they lose another all-star for more minor league prospects. Last year, they traded Jason Bay to the Red Sox for a flurry of potential talent and also dealt Xavier Nady to the Yankees.
They may have acquired some good pieces in this deal. However, you just have to wonder when Pittsburgh will start keeping their stars instead of constantly developing them only to send them away when they finally make it.
Grade for the Pirates: C-
- Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer for RealGM and a recent graduate of Emory University. He can be reached at Brian.Matthew.Reynolds@gmail.com [READ] |
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