The Top 16 franchise-making trades in Atlanta Braves history
By Fred Owens
As the Atlanta Braves fight to win a second consecutive division title, we take a look at deals that built their championship teams.
The franchise now known as the Atlanta Braves goes back a long way in the annals of baseball history. While the Cincinnati Reds make the claim as baseball’s oldest team, the Braves hold the banner as the longest continuously operating franchise.
This club began as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871, a team that dominated the first professional league – National Association of Professional Baseball Players (the NA) for most of its existence. It was a mini-dynasty, culminating in a 71-8 record in 1875.
The Boston Red Caps became founding members of the National League we know today when it commenced operation in 1876. Since then, the team’s been known as the Beaneaters (though many continued to call them the Red Stockings), the Doves, the Rustlers, the Braves and the Bees, before reverting back to the Braves in 1941.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, 2,008 players wore the uniform in that 143-year span since helping form the NL. Some of them signed as amateurs, some came on board as free agents and the rest became a member of franchise teams after being acquired from another team.
Some of them made an immediate impact at the major league level, took part in a championship season and helped create the story of three improbable franchise championships and multiple other World Series appearances.
These are the Sweet 16 best trades made by the Braves franchise since 1890.
To start off, it’s rare that a team chasing a title trades a .300 hitter to their competition, but during June 1914, the St. Louis Cardinals did just that. Although the winning streak didn’t start for a week for the acquiring team, some say this trade turned the tide for The Miracle Braves.