Trade winds: Albers for cash, PTBNL arrives from Phillips deal
The Braves acquired minor league corner infielder Kevin Franklin from the Reds as the player to be named later to complete the trade that brought Brandon Phillips to Atlanta back in February, as reported by Dave O'Brien. Franklin, 22, was a second-round draft pick in 2013 as a power-hitting prospect out of a California high school, but he’s been a major disappointment so far, batting .233 with a .281 OBP, .629 OPS and 11 home runs in 210 games over parts of five seasons without making it above Single A.
He hit .179 (15-for-84) with one homer, five RBIs and a .463 OPS in 27 games between Single-A Dayton and High-A Daytona.
The Braves also sent minor league pitchers Andrew McKirahan and Carlos Portuondo to the Reds in that Phillips trade, while the Reds agreed to pay $13 million of Phillips’ $14 million salary this season in the final year of his contract. McKirahan was coming back from a second Tommy John surgery at the time of the trade, and the left-hander is back on the disabled list after pitching 6 2/3 innings on a rehab assignment. Portuondo, 29, made just one appearance for the Reds’ Double-A team before getting released.
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The Braves have agreed to trade veteran left-hander Andrew Albers to the Mariners for cash considerations, a person familiar with the situation said.
Albers was 12-3 with a 2.61 ERA in 26 games (17 starts) for the Braves’ Triple-A Gwinnett affiliate after signing a minor league deal last winter. The 31-year-old drew some trade interest after a terrific stretch of pitching lately in which he’d posted a 6-0 record and 0.98 ERA in his past eight starts including eight innings of one-run ball in a Thursday win against Louisville. He was expected to report to the Mariners’ Triple-A Tacoma team initially but could soon get a chance to join the big-league rotation.
