4 key takeaways from the Braves' late night trade for Jarred Kelenic
By Eric Cole
Never underestimate Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos' ability to think outside the box and bring in high end talent to the organization. After giving everyone the hard sell that the Braves would be more than happy to start 2024 with Vaughn Grissom in left field this offseason, the Braves struck a late night shocker of a trade with the Mariners that brings Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White to the Braves in exchange for pitching prospect Cole Phillips as well as Jackson Kowar.
On the whole, this is a classic Anthopoulos move. The Braves found a high end talent in Kelenic that they liked and managed to convince Jerry DiPoto and the Mariners that a package consisting of a high ceiling, but far away pitching prospect along with some payroll relief was a worthy return. Seattle gets to now play in the deep end of free agency with some extra payroll to play with and the Braves get one of the more talented young players to come out out of the draft from the last few years.
Grading the Braves' late night trade with the Mariners for Jarred Kelenic
On the whole, this trade was a great move by the Braves. Kelenic is the headliner for good reason as he has the chance to be the Braves' left fielder of the future as he is under team control through 2028. Yes yes, the Braves still keep trying to sell Vaughn Grissom, but that is feeling more and more like Atlanta trying to boost his value so that he, too, could get moved in a trade. Atlanta doesn't take on the over $27 million in salary owed to Gonzales and White plus give up a prospect like Cole Phillips unless they were willing to commit to Kelenic in left.
Speaking of Gonzales, he could be a sneaky good pickup as well. In August last season, Gonzales had to undergo season-ending surgery on his throwing arm to address a nerve issue, but there is a real chance that he will be ready to go from the start of 2024 and he isn't a complete zero as a starter when he is right. Evan White has dealt with injuries the last few years, but was so highly thought of before that that Seattle signed him to six year extension before he made it to the majors back in 2019.
Beyond the nuts and bolts of the deal, here are some of the key takeaways from the Braves late night deal with the Mariners.