The Atlanta Braves traded Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden to the St. Louis Cardinals for Shelby Miller and prospect, Tyrell Jenkins. The move came somewhat as a surprise to many as Heyward was viewed as a cornerstone of the Braves organization that would be with the club for the foreseeable future. So, why did the Braves trade such a young, talented player? Let’s try to make sense of the trade and predict where the Braves go from here.
Jason Heyward is the obvious centerpiece of this deal. He is the best player involved in the trade and he will be playing out the final year of his contract in the upcoming season. He is owed roughly $8 million in 2015 and industry experts predict he could sign a long-term deal in the neighborhood of $200 million as a free agent. That is a lot of money. Money that the Braves are just not able to commit.
The Braves also traded right-handed reliever Jordan Walden to the Cardinals. Earlier in the week Atlanta acquired Arodys Viscaino from the Cubs in exchange for second baseman Tommy La Stella. Viscaino will be under Braves control through 2019. This move made Walden available for trade.
Atlanta acquired a right-handed starter in Shelby Miller who was once a top Cardinals prospect. He had great success in 2013. However, 2014 was a bit of a frustrating season for him. His fastball velocity was great, in the mid-90s, but he was a bit erratic with his control. He left the ball up a lot and issued too many walks. The Braves are hoping to correct some things with Miller but the bottom line is they got a good, young pitcher who they will be under team control until 2019.
Time will tell what Tyrell Jenkins becomes for the Braves but he has a high ceiling and will likely start for AA Mississippi in 2015. The Braves are lacking good arms in their farm system after producing Brandon Beachy, Kris Medlen, Julio Teheran, Mike Minor and Alex Wood in the last few years.
Overall, the Braves are saving over $10 million next season and acquired two young arms with high upside. This sounds like a rebuild is taking place in Atlanta. However, news that the Braves met with Jon Lester this week seems to hint otherwise. So what are the Braves doing?
The debate of whether Atlanta is in rebuild or reload mode was asked by the guys over at numberfire.com. It’s a good question. If you ask me, it’s a question that can’t be answered yet. The new Braves front office seems committed to doing their due diligence in kicking the tires on all available free agents in case a deal becomes available. A rotation with Lester, Teheran, Wood and Miller would help any team compete. With other teams like the Red Sox involved in offering Lester the Braves would have to hope for a home town discount and load the back end of a deal that would pay out the majority of the salary after the Braves move into their new stadium in 2017.
The Braves have also been rumored to be a frontrunner in the Yasmany Tomas sweepstakes. Tomas is a 24-year-old Cuban defector who has been working out for scouts. The latest rumors have the Padres and Braves as the favorites to land Tomas. His biggest asset is his power. Scouts project him to be similar to Cespedes with less speed and not as good in the field. A bat like that would be welcomed in any lineup. But are the Braves willing to spend the money to get him?
So, trading Heyward to cut salary and get even younger sounds like a rebuild. Meeting with Lester and scouting Tomas looks like a reload. Again, I believe the Braves are being diligent to not miss an opportunity to obtain talent. Maybe they can sign one or both of the coveted free agents and compete next year. Or, maybe they miss out on both and end up trading Justin Upton and Evan Gattis to build for the future.
Justin Upton will also play out the final season of his contract in the upcoming season. Before the Braves signed him as a free agent the Mariners were trying to work out a deal for him. However, Upton had the Mariners on his do not trade list. They have since been removed. If Atlanta is unable to put the pieces together this winter to be a competitive team in 2015 it makes sense for them to move Upton and maybe Evan Gattis for younger talent.
Time will tell what the Braves roster will look like in 2015. One thing is for sure, though. Their new front office is not afraid to shake things up.
Follow Dave on Twitter: @BirdmanBelt
*featured image courtesy of Daniel Shirey, USA Today
