A few hearts broke after hearing Martin Prado was on the move out of Atlanta as the Braves finally got a hold of Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade involving seven players. Check out the analysis of this trade as the Braves look finished with their offseason moves.
According to Mark Bowman, Braves' beat writer, the Diamondbacks receive Prado, pitchers Randall Delgado and Zeke Spruill, shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed and Brandon Drury.
Along with Upton, the Braves get Chris Johnson, which is great news for Atlanta even though many don't know who he is. So let's go ahead and break down what the Braves gained and what they lost after this seven-man trade.
First and foremost, the Braves have the best outfield in baseball. They have potential five-tool players in Upton, his brother B.J. and Jason Heyward. They can hit and play the outfield.
Since the Braves have an everyday left fielder and they lost Prado, Johnson can take over the third base duties. Johnson has four seasons in the majors and last season was his breakout year hitting .281 with 15 home runs and driving in 76 runs.
We might see him platooning at third base with Juan Francisco, but if Johnson proves he deserves to be in the lineup every day, then the position is his.
Now, when looking at who the Braves gave up, people might be saddened to hear Prado was moved. More than his well balanced numbers, his ability to make contact and play multiple positions made him one of the most useful men in the game. Prado was a contact hitter and never struckout 100 times in a season, which the Braves really needed.
Here, we leave you a reminder of everything he did in 2012 with the Braves.
Delgado was a guy who the Braves were waiting and depending on as they expected him to make a big splash in the majors. He had his days where he showed potential, but in the end, the Braves saw him as an expendable piece.
At 22 years old, Delgado posted a 5-10 record with a 3.95 ERA in 24 career starts. He went 4-9 in 2012 in 17 starts and almost pitched 100 innings. His Strikout/9 IP ratio was 7.4 so you know the young man is packing heat.
The other guys moving on the trade, Ahmed, 22, a shortstop was one of the guys rumored to draw interest from the Diamondbacks. He hit a total of 10 home runs and had 73 RBI in two seasons in the Braves' minor leagues. He could sharpen up his fielding after committing 24 errors in A+ in 2012.
Drury is an infielder, a very versatile one as he spent time at every infield position in 2012. He's only 20 years old and spent most of his time at first base. Spruill is a right-handed starter who posted a 38-33 record in five season in the Braves' minor league system. He moved up the ranks and made his way up to Double-A. Spruill is 23 years old.
From the looks of the trade, both teams got what they wanted. The Braves have their outfield set for at least three years to come and the Diamondbacks get a ton of prospects and two MLB ready players that can make a difference on their team in 2013.
The Braves are a scary team now in the National League. With both Uptons in the order, though they will likely lead the league in strikeouts, they can make it up with their gloves and speed on the basepads.
This trade is currently pending on physicals. So it might take some time before it becomes official.
Share your thoughts on the move on whether you think it makes the Braves and D'Backs better or worse.
