Braves acquire Alex Jackson from SEA for Whalen and Povse

[smootness]

Jackson is not really a prospect at this point.

Uh, what?

[dak]

Huh?

[smootness]

Odd trade. The Braves essentially traded a couple FV 45 arms for another lottery ticket bat similar to Demritte.

The Braves must not have thought very highly of Povse. They traded him for an OF prospect who's value has cratered.

How is this odd? Whalen and Povse are filler arms with little future in our system. We traded them at their peak for a guy with a big ceiling and potentially legit bat whose value is at its lowest. That's darn near the perfect trade.

[Deester11]

How is this odd? Whalen and Povse are filler arms with little future in our system. We traded them at their peak for a guy with a big ceiling and potentially legit bat whose value is at its lowest. That's darn near the perfect trade.

I agree with Smoot? The world axis is surely teetering....

[nsacpi]

Not a top prospect, but he certainly has some shine left.

imo Povse is a better prospect than Jackson at this point

[smootness]

imo Povse is a better prospect than Jackson at this point

You're crazy.

[CyYoung31]

imo Povse is a better prospect than Jackson at this point

Please.

[Hudson2]

Huh?

Hart said during that draft that he thought Jackson should be at C. This could really turn out interesting if they swap him to C.

[Deester11]

imo Povse is a better prospect than Jackson at this point

Definitely disagree. We've got 20 Povse's in the system, not many power bats...YET.

[Carp]

imo Povse is a better prospect than Jackson at this point

Jackson had a decent year at age 20 in A ball and has massive potential. No way Povse is a better prospect.

[cajunrevenge]

Jackson seems a lot like Braxton Davidson. Way too many k's but draws a lot of walks with a solid amount of power. They arent hitting great overall but are still around league average. They are both only 20 years old so theres plenty of time for the light to come on. Being first round picks they have serious upside if it does. With prospects the odds are always against you. All you can do is hedge your bets with as many lottery tickets. Sometimes you win nothing. Sometimes you win your money back. Sometimes you win 4$, but every now and then you hit the jackpot. Cant win if you dont play.



edit - I guess he is still young enough to convert to catching. If it doesnt hurt his bat he would be a significantly better prospect as a catcher.

[chop2chip]

imo Povse is a better prospect than Jackson at this point

I like the trade for Seattle. But where do you put Povse and Whalen? Neither of them really fit into our long term rotation plans and are behind 10 other minor pitchers.

[Deester11]

Jackson seems a lot like Braxton Davidson. Way too many k's but draws a lot of walks with a solid amount of power. They arent hitting great overall but are still around league average. They are both only 20 years old so theres plenty of time for the light to come on. Being first round picks they have serious upside if it does. With prospects the odds are always against you. All you can do is hedge your bets with as many lottery tickets. Sometimes you win nothing. Sometimes you win your money back. Sometimes you win 4$, but every now and then you hit the jackpot. Cant win if you dont play.

Wow Cajun.....very succinct post. Inconceivable....

[Enscheff]

How is this odd? Whalen and Povse are filler arms with little future in our system. We traded them at their peak for a guy with a big ceiling and potentially legit bat whose value is at its lowest. That's darn near the perfect trade.

Odd doesn't mean bad, it means odd. Just like the SRod signing. Odd.

Yes, both are likely 5th starter or BP arms, but they have some marginal value. The Braves just used that value, as small as it may be, for another lottery ticket bat similar to TD except without the defensive upside.

This is probably a trade that never amounts to much for either team. Prospect for prospect trades are exceedingly rare, and this is probably why they almost never happen. Clearly someone in the Braves scouting department still had a boner for Jackson (or maybe Hart himself), and the M's were looking for some long term rotation depth.

[dak]

I'm curious about the PTBNL that the Braves are also getting. Most likely inconsequential, but kind of odd to have a PTBNL in a trade this time of year.

[Horsehide Harry]

Don't know much about Clinton but from the pitching numbers it looks as if it must be an extreme pitchers park.

As for the comparison with Davidson, I think Jackson has shown mush more at this point, which still isn't saying a ton.

[Horsehide Harry]

I'm curious about the PTBNL that the Braves are also getting. Most likely inconsequential, but kind of odd to have a PTBNL in a trade this time of year.

Could it be from the 2016 Draft? At one time, draftees could not change hands until a certain amount of time had passed. Not sure what the rule is now...

[clvclv]

I like the trade for Seattle. But where do you put Povse and Whalen? Neither of them really fit into our long term rotation plans and are behind 10 other minor pitchers.

All depends on what you're trying to build and how much weight you want to put on power POTENTIAL. Everybody that knocks Demeritte points out the swing-and-miss - and that's understandable. Many also point out that one main goal is to develop WAVES of prospects for sustainable success. Tough to have both inexpensively - particularly given the attrition and injury rates for Pitchers.

If Povse and Whalen develop into capable #4 and #5 SPs soon, suddenly Wisler and Blair become "expendable" for a bat that's more proven than Jackson. Obviously none of these guys are "sure things", but Povse and Whalen have experienced more success at more advanced levels. There are lots of things yet to be determined about any of the three of them before their final stories can be written, but given the scarcity of inexpensive SPs available these days it's awfully tough to instantly call this a "slam-dunk" fleecing IMO. Like everyone else, I love Jackson's upside - especially if the Braves can make him a Catcher - but someone with that kind of K-Rate when seeing mainly fastballs is far from a "steal".

Actually could signal that the brass is comfortable enough with Wisler, Blair, and some of our non-premium arms that they're OK with dealing quantity for wildcards - completely the opposite of Wren's tenure - which can be both quite exciting as well as questionable in the long run. Particularly when they've said they want to get back to "The Braves' Way" of pitching over everything else.

[GovClintonTyree]

Hart said during that draft that he thought Jackson should be at C. This could really turn out interesting if they swap him to C.

If this is the plan, the deal got a whole lot more interesting.

DiPoto has shown what his supporters would say is a bold streak in his deals. Others would call him impatient. He's dealt players who will contribute in their new homes, notably Carson Smith, Mike Montgomery, Mark Trumbo, now Ketel Marie and Taijuan Walker. Once he decides he doesn't want to wait on a guy, they're gone.

So now he's decided to bolster his pitching with middling arms at the cost of giving up on a former #1 prematurely. Jackson wasn't making enough contact, but he was making improvements after he moved up the ladder and it wouldn't be a surprise to see that continue.

I did not know about his catcher past, but that sure makes him attractive to the Braves and interesting to me.

[Enscheff]

Could it be from the 2016 Draft? At one time, draftees could not change hands until a certain amount of time had passed. Not sure what the rule is now...

Recently drafted players can be traded the day after the World Series. It is known as the "Trea Turner Rule":

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-rule/?0p19G=c