The sense I've gotten from reading about Barrios (from Pirates in Ramirez trade), Gant, and Whalen is that both of the guys we received are more valuable assets than Barrios. I agree that the top of the rotation comment on Gant above has to be a typo. Kiley McDaniel though noted that both Gant and Whalen have upsides of being average MLB starters. Neither Gant or Whalen is the type of prospect that you pencil in to future rotations, but who knows.
Here's another scenario to consider. It would not be surprising if one of these guys maintains that upside projection by this time next year. In other words, becomes a solid 45 FV prospect who is pitching at AA or AAA. If the Braves are in contention a year from now, they could use such a 45 FV prospect and the $2.7m saved to acquire a very nice rental piece for the stretch run.