Why Did the Atlanta Braves Trade Wood… and Peraza?
Braves third baseman Adonis Garcia (24) hits a game winning two run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the twelfth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Giants 9-8 in 12 innings. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Why Olivera Specifically?
The market for third basemen is very tough. Most desirable options are under long-term deals or are otherwise under team control tighter than an old maid’s smile. Here are the elites right now:
- Josh Donaldson (5.3 fWAR)
- Manny Machado (5.0)
- Todd Frazier (3.9)
- Justin Turner (3.6 … in under 300 PAs!)
- Kris Bryant (3.4)
- Nolan Arenado (3.4)
- Matt Duffy (3.2)
- Evan Longoria (2.9)
- Jung-ho Kang (2.7 … 316 PA)
- Matt Carpenter (2.7)
- Trevor Plouffe (2.5)
- Kyle Seager (2.5)
All of these but Carpenter also are providing above-average defense. The Braves, as a team, rank 21st in baseball for third-base WAR, and the two guys who provided the positive energy there are both gone, which pretty much places the Braves with the bottom 3 in all of baseball.
The Braves have tried to find a hot corner handler for the future. A lot. Just how much have they tried? Check this list of players and prospects – no home-grown third baseman has made the majors and ‘stuck’ since Martin Prado:
- Chris Johnson (inconsistent hitting; iffy defense)
- Adonis Garcia (perennial minor league player)
- Juan Uribe (short timer)
- Alberto Callaspo (could not hit)
- Ramiro Pena (role player)
- Brooks Conrad (bat of steel, hands of stone)
- Juan Francisco (could not avoid trying to destroy the baseball)
- Kyle Kubitza (poor defense; unknown hitting; traded to Angels)
- Rio Ruiz (has hit a roadblock at AA this year)
- Victor Caratini (converted catcher drafted in 2013 2nd round; traded to Cubs)
- Edward Salcedo (no hit; bad defense)
- Joe Leonard (2010 3rd rounder; no power, not playing in 2015)
The only one that really “worked” in the past 10 years was Prado (though 3B wasn’t really his best position)… and you all know what happened to him.
So now the Braves are indeed “all in” on Hector Olivera.
Next: Attempting to See into the Future