Atlanta Braves trade away promising OF Randy Ventura

We’ve all been looking forward to the next big Braves trade this Summer… but what came down on Friday was certainly a surprise.

Of all the deals we have been contemplating that the Atlanta Braves could be involved in this Summer, this one was not expected:

Okay… so what happened here? Let’s go through all of the reasons why such a trade is perplexing and some reasons why it might have happened.

The Penalty Box

If you’ve been paying attention at all, you’ll recall that the Braves (intentionally) over-spent their International Market spending cap a year ago to bring in players like Kevin Maitan and Abrahan Guitierrez.

The monies spent then brought in a whole pile of teen-aged prospects – 33 in all – during that 2016-17 signing season.  That’s a bigger number than usual, but not unprecedented.  The previous season saw the Braves grab 23 players.

But because of that spending, the Braves were handed the highest penalty that could be imposed at that time:  a 2-year restriction in which no International player could be inked for more than $300,000.

Now that penalty is fairly severe, but not a total show-stopper.  Many excellent players have been grabbed within those parameters, including both Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna.

So it isn’t like International Operations Director Marc Russo or Latin American scouting Director Mike Silvestri or International Scouting Guru emeritus Gordon Blakeley opted to take a 2-year vacation.  In fact, you can bet that they’ve been planning on this detour for a while now.

For one thing, the Braves still need players to fill out their Dominican Summer team and hey – since these kids are mostly 16 years old, you never know what you might find later, given consistent professional coaching.

So mostly what that monetary limit means is that the Atlanta Latin scouting team have to look harder in their quest for the next Pache, Cruz, Guitierrez, Maitan, … or Ventura.

The Math

With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the numbers have changed in 2017.

Revenue-sharing clubs – most of the so-called small market teams – get to spend $5.75 million internationally between now and next June.

A middle-group of teams get to spend $5.25 million.  The large market clubs are held to $4.75 million.  This last group (16 teams) includes Atlanta.

So even if the Braves gave $300K to everybody they signed, that’s about 16 players.

Apparently they still needed more.

The Cincinnati Reds are another team that blew the budget last year – signing 44 players in the process. This year, the Redlegs have apparently decided to back down their spending significantly, and their restraint has now allowed the Braves a chance to expand their own.

The new rules permit clubs to add up to 75% more spending power via trades… and they can also jettison their rights to spent every dollar they in their kitty if they choose to be so (Orioles, *cough*) foolhardy.