House That Hank Built
Fansided

Do the Atlanta Braves Want to Trade Olivera? Here’s one Idea that Could Work

By Alan Carpenter

Sep 29, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Hector Olivera (28) walks off of the field with Atlanta Braves assistant athletic trainer Jim Lovell after Olivera was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning of their game against the Washington Nationals at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Hector Olivera (28) walks off of the field with Atlanta Braves assistant athletic trainer Jim Lovell after Olivera was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning of their game against the Washington Nationals at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Dec 4, 2014; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk (left) and Daniel Alfredsson sign a one day contract for Alfredsson to return to the Senators during a press conference at Canadian Tire Centre where he announced that he would be retiring. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2014; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk (left) and Daniel Alfredsson sign a one day contract for Alfredsson to return to the Senators during a press conference at Canadian Tire Centre where he announced that he would be retiring. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /

Structuring a Deal

Here’s my bottom-line proposal:

  • Atlanta gets Braun and $7.5 million – nearly half of the gap between Olivera’s salary and Braun’s for 2016.  Atlanta agrees to accept the balance of Braun’s contract ($92.5 million; net increase to payroll of $60 million through 2020).
  • Milwaukee gets Hector Olivera and pitcher Lucas Sims.

You might think otherwise, but yeah… there will need to be a significant “sweetener” to get Milwaukee to play ball with us here – and I believe it would take someone like Sims to make that happen.  The Braves would clearly be getting a useful player back in Braun, and Milwaukee does need to have a solid prospect back for their trouble… even if they would end up being $60 million to the better in the end, which is the ultimate hook here.

Would it be completely out of the question to “go big” and ask about Jonathan Lucroy in the same deal?  Probably so, yes. The Brewers would not need to package Braun and Lucroy together unless they had reasons to dump Braun themselves.  While there have been rumblings that they’d not mind moving the 6-time All-Star, for now he’s playing well (in left field) and they seem to be resigned to maintain the status quo.

Doing such a trade now would be a bit of a crap shoot, as there’s no knowledge about what Olivera’s suspension might be, and that would change the financials involved.  If it is 3 months, for instance, then that’s half a season, or $2 million that otherwise would have gone to Olivera.  So even if something can be done to move Olivera, it could be a while before that comes to pass…which would still work for everyone involved.

If such a deal were to somehow come to pass, then that might satisfy the Braves’ need for an outfield bat… at a tolerable price with cost-surety for 4-1/2 more years.

The would not be without risk:  there’s Braun’s age, the money, and his recently repaired back.  So far, he has been playing every day, but back problems can linger.

Next: What if they held an auction and no one came?

It’s a big price to pay to get rid of Olivera.  If that’s what they Braves believe they need to do, then it will take something like this to make it happen in a manner that would make the pain more bearable.

Home/Braves Rumors