I assume that this thread has already been made, but the deal before opening day was such a big deal that I think this topic deserves revisiting. I personally would give Hart and company an "A". Before the Kimbrel trade I probably would have given them a "B". Here are my comments on the major trades Hart made this offseason plus a little blurb on the minor moves.
Heyward trade - B- I know many rank this trade as the worst, but I actually thought this was a good trade. I think the two main pieces in this trade were good buy low prospects/players. I was very impressed with Miller this spring and impressed with the tape I saw on Jenkins. With that in mind that's a solid return for Heyward, but Walden was a pretty significant throw in. I don't think we needed to throw him in for what we got back.
Upton trade - A I think a lot of folks were unhappy with this trade, but I think the emergence of Jace Peterson as a potential above average 2b has made this a really good trade. Jace was arguably considered the worst prospect in this trade yet he's starting at 2nd and looks like he could wind up being a nice little player for us. We also got a legit potential CF and leadoff guy, a potential power hitting 3b and oh yeah, there's that one guy who happens to be the centerpiece of the deal. Now he almost seems like a throw in.
Gattis trade - C Many folks see this trade as the best of the three major deals pre spring training. I personally think this was the worst deal. I like Foltyney****z and think he has a chance as a starter, but I just don't like the idea of him being the center piece of a major traded due to his very high walk rate. Some project him as a late inning reliever. I just don't think your headline dude in a trade should be a reliever. Ruiz is a very interesting prospect and could be our future 3b. But there's a better chance he's going to not work out.
Markakis signing - B I actually liked this move. This made the next 2 seasons a little more bearable for me. I paid close attention really to only three players on offense on opening day, because I was genuinely excited to see them bat and/or play defense... Peterson, Markakis and Freeman. I just enjoy watching Markakis play baseball. And that's not a knock on Heyward. I really enjoyed watching Heyward play baseball as well. While Markakis clearly isn't as talented, he does take the game seriously just as Heyward did. I think some of the Braves fans who loved Heyward because of the way he played the game (this included me) should give the same amount of respect to Markakis for the way he plays the game. Both players are just fun to watch, because they are professionals. Although it's a joke on this board, both players actually really do love playing the game. It helps that Markakis actually isn't a bad player.
Other moves - Obviously some nice moves with Banuelos etc. Those moves are all A's as far as I'm concerned. No risk potential high reward, but in the end they are minor moves, so I won't comment much on them.
So now we got to the Kimbrel trade:
Kimbrel trade - A++++ Best move of the offseason by any team. The one move Hart had to make this offseason that seemed impossible, was getting rid of Upton Jr's contract for 2017. He did it. Yes, he had to package a great closer. But we got a damn good pitching prospect back along with a couple of other nice pieces. So it's not like it was just a case of take Upton's contract away from us and we'll give you this great piece. I mean I would argue that Kimbrel for the group of prospects/draft pick we got back was good enough for Kimbrel alone. I really like the starting pitcher we got back in this deal. Consider also that we got back the money that Kimbrel would have earned as well and it just adds an extra couple of pluses to this deal. Oh and with Maybin. We actually had a need for him as well. A back up CF/starting CF. Folks are just writing him off, but he was a piece we actually needed this year and next to at least make this team a bit more fun to watch from a competitive stand point.
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Originally Posted by Runnin
