Braves swing shocking trade with Angels who have become a familiar trade partner
The Braves completed a trade with a familiar trade partner, ending their utility man's tenure in Atlanta.
The Atlanta Braves have made their first trade of the season, sending infielder Luis Guillorme to the Los Angeles Angels. Guillorme signed with the Braves this offseason but only appeared in 10 games with the team, including one outing on the mound.
The return for Guillorme announced by the Braves is cash considerations or a player to be named later.
The #Braves have acquired a player to be named later or cash considerations from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for INF Luis Guillorme.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 9, 2024
The Braves signed Guillorme to fill the utility infielder role this offseason, but just like Charlie Culberson discovered, that role doesn't offer a lot of playing time. The 29-year-old didn't even make his first appearance as a Brave until the team's 14th game of the year, and he did so on the mound against his former team, the New York Mets.
Guillorme did get a chance to play a bit more regularly when Ozzie Albies went on the injured list, but he's only appeared in one game since Albies returned on April 26.
Luis Guillorme is making his Braves debut ... as a pitcher against his former team 👀 pic.twitter.com/sqZqlIHbMG
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) April 11, 2024
As a Brave, Luis Guillorme slashed .150/.191/.250 (24 OPS+). He did play outstanding defense in his limited time on the field, accumulating a 2 OAA.
What the Luis Guillorme trade means for the Braves
With the Braves' current roster construction, the utility infielder spot is the one that sees the least playing time. Unless there's an injury, the Braves core of Austin Riley, Orlando Arcia, Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson play every day.
The team was perfectly content to keep Charlie Culberson on the roster last year, even though he only appeared in one game over a two-month span. Atlanta has multiple utility players in the organization who can fill the utility role, including Luke Williams, who is already on the MLB roster.
David Fletcher and Leury Garcia are non-roster options the team could utilize to fill the void created by Guillorme as well.
By trading Guillorme, the Braves open up a 40-man roster spot and cut the remainder of the salary owed, although the infielder only signed for $1.1 million this offseason.
The Angels have become valued trade partners with Atlanta over the years as they have made multiple deals with them in the past couple of years. Before this trade, the Braves acquired reliever Jimmy Herget from the Angels.
This partnership will likely continue to flourish and Guillorme now gets to play for beloved coach Ron Washington in the City of Angels.
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