House That Hank Built
Fansided

The Case for Trading Atlanta Braves Pitcher Julio Teheran

By Alan Carpenter

Mar 30, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran (49) warms up in the middle of the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran (49) warms up in the middle of the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
May 12, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) talks with catcher Erik Kratz (23) after pitching during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
May 12, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) talks with catcher Erik Kratz (23) after pitching during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

The Case to Trade Teheran

Where do I start?

  • It’s Shelby Miller all over again:  the Braves suck and keeping Julio Teheran won’t change that.
  • Multiple teams have needs and they will load up bus-fulls of prospects to send to Atlanta.  Okay, maybe not in the way that Dave Stewart did, but close.
  • That Teheran contract can be used to advantage  – one that can set up the Braves’ franchise for another decade with multiple great position players.
  • Right now is the ultimate “sell high” situation:  use that.  Profit from that.  Finish the rebuild.

How high?  You might be surprised at what others are already proposing – and I don’t actually mean whacky sports bloggers, either:

Yes, that’s the Comcast Sports Network/Northeast, which covers all major Boston pro sports teams suggesting that Julio Teheran is worth one or perhaps both the #1 and #4 Red Sox prospects, including the one that Boston paid $63 million to get.

If the Braves were to get that kind of offer, this debate would be over… now.

As mentioned, teams normally would not part with an asset like Teheran in mid-season, but there may be extenuating circumstances that argue for a trade now:

  • He is pitching better than ever before
  • Demand seems high, given the current needs of several clubs
  • Seeing the prior list of off-season options, teams foreseeing a multi-year concern with pitching might opt to strike early to secure maximum benefit

So the argument here would be that if you can truly get that kind of haul in return, why not?

So Who Actually Needs Teheran?

There’s a fair list… in rough order of need:

  • Boston
  • Houston
  • Los Angeles… both teams, but mostly the Dodgers
  • Baltimore
  • Arizona (don’t count on that one)
  • Pittsburgh
  • Colorado
  • Yankees

Curiously enough, the teams with the most loaded farm systems are the top three in this list.  Just how far would each be willing to go in an auction for Teheran is the big question.

Fans should not expect a Swanson-Blair-Inciarte kind of trade here (that was obviously over-the-top), but if by some miracle a Yoan Moncada or Alex Bregman is actually put on the table, Coppy would be a fool for not considering such a deal.

The Rub

Fans on the “trade him” bandwagon should also realize that such a move will essentially doom the Braves to a historically bad season for the rest of 2016… and that’s major league historic – not just Braves’ franchise bad.

You could make an argument that – like last night’s game – that this team is bound to lose anyway, but it is a factor.

Next: Speaking of Teheran...

Conclusion:  Coppolella will certainly listen to any calls, but it would have to be a significant return to keep the conversation going, for there are definitely ample reasons to hang on to the Braves’ best pitcher.

Your thoughts are welcomed.

Home/Braves News