At the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline in July, the Atlanta Braves were not necessarily the most active team, making only one significant move throughout the month.
That move came on July 29 via the trade route, when Atlanta acquired outfielder Jorge Soler and relief pitcher Luke Jackson from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for relief pitcher Tyler Matzek and a prospect in third baseman Sabin Ceballos.
While the former of those two players has since returned to the Braves organization, Ceballos is off to a strong start to his Giants career. Will the Braves potentially regret trading the third baseman?
Former Atlanta Braves prospect Sabin Ceballos impressing with San Francisco Giants
Considered among Atlanta's Top 30 prospects at the time of the deal, Ceballos was a former top draft pick by the Braves, selected in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Oregon.
While a member of Atlanta's organization, Ceballos began his professional career not long after the 2023 MLB Draft, appearing in 14 minor league games a year ago where he held an .815 OPS between Rookie Ball and Low-A.
As for this season, Ceballos' first full professional campaign originally began with the Braves in High-A Rome where he saw action in 84 games up until being traded. Over that span, the 22-year-old put up a slash line of .259/.353/.354 with three HR, 30 RBI, and nine stolen bases.
Say bye to that one, Sabin Ceballos 👋
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 1, 2024
Acquired in the Jorge Soler/Luke Jackson trade with the Braves, the 21-year-old infielder connects on a home run in his @SFGiants debut for the High-A @EugeneEmeralds. pic.twitter.com/gJEDU1sRS9
Since the trade, however, Ceballos has been one of the top-hitting prospects in the Giants system across his 32 games in the organization. Over that span, which has come in High-A, Ceballos has slashed a combined .295/.364/.549 with seven homers and 30 RBI.
While unranked in San Francisco's Top 30 according to MLB, Ceballos is clearly having a notable amount of success in the Giants organization, and will likely continue to rise through the organizational prospect rankings should he continue this level of play.
So, will the Braves potentially regret trading Ceballos in the long run? Time will ultimately tell.