Trade: Atlanta Braves make a (Shane) Greene New Deal at the deadline

The Atlanta Braves made waves when they acquired Chris Martin from the Rangers to bolster the bullpen. Now, just minutes before the trading deadline, Alex Anthopoulos pulled the trigger and acquired Shane Greene from the Detroit Tigers.

At 3:08pm, Ken Rosenthal let Atlanta Braves fans know that we were close… and in the end, the result is that the most significant closer dealt in this trade season – Shane Greene – is now coming to Atlanta.

The Return

Atlanta Braves fans had to nervously wait to learn what the team had to give up to acquire the closer. Tensions built and many fans just wanted to rip off the bandaid.

In the end, I think that we made a fine deal, an excellent deal.

The Tigers acquired left-handed pitching prospect Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte, per Robert Murray of The Athletic.

While no one is too sure about statement ‘unclear if other involved’ part of the trade, if all we gave up for Greene was Joey Wentz and Travis Demeritte, Alex Anthopoulos is a bandit.

Final Update as the Braves announce the trade:  Wentz and Demeritte only.  This is officially a trade coup for the Braves.

Greene Fields Ahead

The Atlanta Braves are getting an excellent bullpen piece. Greene, in a couple words has been nearly untouchable this season. His 1.19 ERA is supported by a 0.89 WHIP and opposing hitters managing just a .153 average against him.

He’s been quite reliable as a closer, too- converting 22 of 25 save opportunities. The 6-4, 200-pound lefty is in the midst of an All-Star campaign. It’s not just because he plays for the lowly Detroit Tigers, who are currently 41 games below .500, but because he actually deserved it – I mean, he’s closed out 22 of the 31 wins the team has.

While Greene strikes out 10.2 batters per nine innings, he also relies heavily on the ground ball- with a 92-94 mph sinker and a cutter that plays in the upper 80s. He also throws a slider that serves as a bigger change of pace, and is generally in the lower 80s. His four-seam fastball is in the mid-90s when used, but Greene primarily relies on the sinker/cutter combo.

Contractually, the Atlanta Braves will owe what’s left on Greene’s 4 million dollar payday this year, and they’ll control Greene through arbitration next season.

Now, asking a pitcher to sustain a 1.18 ERA is highly unrealistic. The odds of Greene being the perfect acquisition are low, but Greene is a monumental upgrade to an Atlanta Braves bullpen that misbehaved badly- maybe even with AA was on the phone with Detroit.

Greene will be a part of a 2019 team that continues to be ‘ahead of schedule.’ A 2018 Division title was a total surprise to many, and coming into this season, experts gave the Atlanta Braves little chance of repeating as division champions, yet, the Atlanta Braves hold a 6.5 game lead over the Nationals through July.

Just seconds after Josh Tomlin sealed a series win in a wild game against the Washington Nationals, Buster Olney confirmed the deal.

There’s even more coming… Anthopoulos wasn’t done!

What the Braves Lose

WENTZ

Joey Wentz had a strong performance in Rome and Florida in 2017 and 2018. In his 46 starts with both farm clubs, he pitched to a 2.49 earned run average, striking out 205 batters.

Wentz, a 6-5, 210 pounder with loads of potential has had an up and down 2019 season at AA Mississippi. He’s had stretches where it seemed like everything was going wrong, mostly attributed to a jump in the number of home runs he’s allowed. The Kansas native has only given up 20 home runs in his professional career, with 13 of them coming this season.

He’s also had stretches where he’s seemed unhittable in 2019, such as a recent four start stretch that spanned from June 26 to July 14 where over four starts, he allowed just three earned runs in 24.1 innings, striking out 36 batters. Unfortunately for Wentz, his last start in the Atlanta Braves system didn’t go so well- he allowed seven runs over 3.2 innings against the Mobile Bay Bears.

If the Tigers develop Wentz well, he could prove to be a solid return for them. However, Wentz was now the crown jewel of the Atlanta Braves farm system – ranked 7th overall by MLBPipeline.com.

DEMERITTE

When the Braves acquired Travis Demeritte from the Texas Rangers for Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez in 2016, they may have found a diamond in the rough, and that may still hold true for the Detroit Tigers.

Demeritte was coming off a big season in the hitter friendly California League where he bashed 25 home runs in just 88 games. After spending the last month of the season in Carolina with the Mudcats, he totaled 28 home runs on the year, but also struck out 175 times.

The possible super utility player has significant experience at every position besides first base, third base, and catcher. He profiles as a solid defender and most importantly for the Tigers, it appears as if Demeritte has improved his offensive game as well.

For the Gwinnett Stripers, Demeritte hit .284, socked 20 home runs, and drove in 74 RBI for a team that was perhaps the offensive juggernaut of the International League.

While Demeritte showed that he still has his power and that he can produce, the most important aspect of his game is that his .387 OBP is the best he’s posted in a single season his a 39 game stint in the Arizona League for the Rangers in 2013.

Hailing from Winder, Georgia, it appears that Demeritte won’t be able to make his major league debut for his hometown team, but he could very soon find the show Detroit, a team clearly in the midst of a rebuild.

Stand by for more information as it becomes available, but it appears that the Atlanta Braves have made 2 significant moves (in addition to the trade last night) to bolster their bullpen for the stretch run this afternoon.