In what comes as a fairly unexpected move, the Atlanta Braves acquired a versatile infielder on Tuesday afternoon in what originally appears to be a very good depth move.
The Atlanta Braves acquired versatile infielder Orlando Arcia on Tuesday afternoon, and in return sent pitchers Patrick Weigel and Chad Sobotka to Milwaukee in exchange for the 26 year old infielder.
While the Atlanta Braves are already set at shortstop, second base, and third base, the acquisition of Arcia makes perfect sense for bench depth and versatility. With the Braves bench currently consisting of Alex Jackson, Pablo Sandoval, Johan Camargo, and Ender Inciarte, this gives the Atlanta Braves an elite defensive infielder and a player with upside.
Arcia is in his sixth season in the major leagues where he was currently off to a 1/11 start at the plate for the Brewers. As mentioned previously however, this is a player with upside just waiting to breakout.
Arcia is a career .244 hitter, which includes a career-high .277 batting average during the 2017 season. He has however hit 15 HRs in two of his six career seasons, while also having 50+ RBIs in those two seasons. Arcia also hit .260 with 5 HRs and 20 RBIs in 59 games during the 2020 season.
While the offensive numbers won’t blow you away, Arcia could be considered elite defensively. Arcia can play multiple positions on the infield, having split time between SS and 3B this season for the Brewers, and is the owner of an impressive .973 career fielding percentage.
So what are the Atlanta Braves actually getting with Arcia, and what will his role most likely be? As mentioned previously, the Braves are set in their infield, but I’d still expect to see a fair share of Arcia this season.
Arcia will most likely become a versatile bench piece for the Braves to either provide late inning defense, pinch hit opportunities, or an occasional start every 3-5 days to give the normal starters a day off. Arcia also has postseason experience owning an impressive .295 batting average with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs in 13 career postseason games.
While currently unknown how big of an everyday role he will play, Arcia should provide needed depth and versatility to an Atlanta Braves team that has World Series aspirations. Still only 26 years old however, Arcia still has upside as a player, and maybe a change of scenery is all he needs.
If Arcia can develop however, the Atlanta Braves might just have a steal on their hands who provides elite defense, positional versatility, and proven postseason success.