On yesterday's date way back in 2014, the Atlanta Braves traded slugger Justin Upton and Aaron Northcraft to the Padres in exchange for a plethora of prospects. Atlanta received Mallex Smith, Dustin Peterson, Jace Peterson, and future ace Max Fried in return.
This was at the start of Atlanta's rebuild phase, and this was one of the more memorable trades. That said, the Craig Kimbrel and Andrelton Simmons trades were probably more shocking. Upton was initially acquired by the Braves in January 2013.
Braves History: Atlanta finalizes Justin Upton trade that would change franchise history
Upton was in the middle of a six-year, $51.5 million contract that was signed while he was in Arizona. Upton's time in Atlanta was brief, but he was worth a 5.9 WAR and appeared in 303 games. The slugger had a .267 average, including 61 doubles, 56 homers, 172 RBI, and a 129 OPS+. He also won a Silver Slugger after the 2014 season.
Braves fans will remember Upton most for his towering homers and the game where he and his brother hit back-to-back homers against the Cubs to win the game.
Shortly after winning the award, he joined his new team in San Diego. Upton was traded a couple more times after leaving Atlanta, landing with the Tigers and Angels. His final season in baseball was in 2022, where he appeared in just 17 games with the Mariners.
Atlanta's half of the trade was worth it as they ended up with one of baseball's best left-handed starters. Max Fried is the one player fans will remember most from this trade. Fried went on to produce a 22.9 WAR from 2017 to 2024 with the Braves. Over 884 innings, he had a 3.07 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 246 walks, and 863 strikeouts.
Not only that, but he also took home multiple Gold Gloves and even one Silver Slugger. He's the last MLB pitcher to ever win that award, as the universal DH was announced the year after.
As for Smith and the two Petersons, there wasn't much to remember. Dustin appeared in two games for the Braves, and Jace played the infield often from 2015 through 2017 with a 1.2 WAR. Smith played in 72 games in 2016, but he was traded to Seattle in January 2017.