Atlanta Braves: Orlando Arcia Will Get His Shot with Ozzie Albies Out

Orlando Arcia was a starter before being traded to the Atlanta Braves last year. Now he gets his shot to prove he still can be an everyday player. 

Last year the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers made a surprising trade just a week into the regular season when the Braves ent Chad Sobotka and Patrick Weigel to the Brewers for Orlando Arcia.

Atlanta was looking for some depth on the infield and were looking to part with some of their pitching depth.

Milwaukee was ready to move on from Arcia as their starting shortstop after he held down the position for four-plus years, but was a below-average player with his highest wRC+ coming in 2020 at 95.

In the offseason, the Braves and Arcia avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year deal worth $3 million with a club option for $2 million in 2024.

The deal was a bit of a head-scratcher at the time, but now you see why Alex Anthopoulos made the deal — he wanted to make sure he has a capable replacement on the infield should anything happen to Ozzie, Dansby, or Riley.

Braves: Orlando Arcia Gets His Chance

While Arcia isn’t going to replace Ozzie — who is one of the best second basemen in baseball — he’s more than capable of holding down the fort until he returns.

And he’s swung the bat well since joining the Braves. Combining last year and this year, he’s 30-118 (.254) with 3 home runs in 49 games.

This year he’s been even better slashing .313/.393/.458 get starts here and there. Those numbers won’t last as an everyday player, but you’re not asking for much batting in the seventh and eighth spot in the order.

Because he debuted at 21 years old with the Brewers in 2016, some people forget he’s still just 27 with a lot of experience under his belt.

He doesn’t have a ton of experience at second base, but he’s been doing his work with Wash and he has the arm to make some plays that Ozzie might not be able to make.

This is also a great opportunity for Arcia to show that can still be an everyday player. If a trade opportunity comes up at some point in the future, perhaps another team will have a need for Arcia as a starter.

But for now, he’s the Braves starting second baseman. While the loss of Ozzie is huge, they can survive with Arcia.