You knew the Atlanta Braves wouldn’t stay silent for long with the trade deadline approaching as they snag a big bat for the outfield in Eddie Rosario.
It might not be the outfielder from the Minnesota Twins most Atlanta Braves fans were hoping for, but Eddie Rosario will bring some needed thumb to the lineup.
Rosario is somebody we’ve talked about a lot on this site — mostly during the offseason when I thought he was a solid candidate to sign.
But now the Braves get him via trade just before Friday’s deadline.
#Braves acquire OF Eddie Rosario: pic.twitter.com/eSXEFDqdul
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 30, 2021
This couldn’t be any less risky of a trade for the Braves who gave up Pablo Sandoval and got cash from the Indians to help cover the $3-$4 million left on Rosario’s contract this season before he hits free agency.
The 20-year-old was having a solid season with the Indians hitting .254 with 7 home runs in 78 games.
His .685 OPS is well below his career average of around .800.
And he’s been injured since July 6 and hasn’t appeared in a game since that time.
The Braves are certainly hoping Rosario is back healthy and able to produce like he’s capable down the stretch.
It’s another left-handed bat with power much like Joc Pederson, which this lineup needs.
He’ll most likely replace Abraham Almonte who has been servicable, but if Eddie plays close to his career norms the rset of the way this will be a huge upgrade.
Especially with the news of the Braves trading for Adam Duvall while I’m writing this. We’ll talk about that more in another article.
But that essentially gives them a solid platoon in left field and is a huge improvement to the bench.
Hopefully we still have a couple of moves coming to help out the bullpen, but this was a very solid, cost-effective move for Atlanta to make.