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Atlanta Braves trade talk: Alex Anthopoulos sticks to the plan

By Fred Owens

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 17: Jose Reyes #7 (L) of the Toronto Blue Jays answers questions as he is introduced at a press conference as general manager Alex Anthopoulos looks on at Rogers Centre on January 17, 2013 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 17: Jose Reyes #7 (L) of the Toronto Blue Jays answers questions as he is introduced at a press conference as general manager Alex Anthopoulos looks on at Rogers Centre on January 17, 2013 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Twins third baseman Eduardo Escobar celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Indians. The Twins are unlikely to trade him at a price the Atlanta Braves would like.
Minnesota Twins third baseman Eduardo Escobar celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Indians. The Twins are unlikely to trade him at a price the Atlanta Braves would like. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Reviewing the usual suspects

Many of the names discussed in the past simply can’t be considered options any longer.  A quick review show why these players are now nonstarters.

  • Eduardo Escobar: Minnesota has two third basemen on the depth chart. They just sent super prospect and player most likely to raid taco bar, Miguel Sano, to A ball. Escobar is their third baseman.
  • Matt Chapman: Chapman broke his hand and joined the 10-day DL. The Athletics weren’t going to give him away.
  • Eugenio Suarez: Extended by Cincinnati for seven years @ $66M with a $2M signing bonus.
  • Yangervis Solarte: Not a good defender; produced less than 1 fWAR last year in 128 games.
  • Matt Duffy: Young, inexpensive and a good hitter with two more years of control on a team that lacks bats and money.
  • Colin Moran: Pirates picked up Moran from Houston in the Cole trade. Moran is pre-arb and under team control through 2023. The money alone means the Pirates won’t give him away.

I’ll deal with Mike Moustakas later.

Those names eliminate almost every option mentioned. I managed to find three that might fit; the first two in Pittsburgh.

David Freese

David Freese joined the Pirates in 2016 on a three-year, $13.5M contract with a $6M team option for 2019 and a $500K buyout.  There’s close to $2.5M remaining this year plus the $500K buyout, thus about $3M to play.

Since signing he’s hit .265/.356/.394/.750 and been slightly above average in wRC+.  Defensive metrics agree that at 35-years old he’s become an above average third baseman.

Freese can back also up Freddie Freeman at first in a pinch.

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