Thought it'd be fun to go back through all the trades Coppy/Hart have made with some 20/20 applied. I'm looking at all the trades, through the lens of everything that's happened - both after the players left and when they got here. All the trades are either going to be in my hindsight AMAZING, Good, meh, win-win, wait and see, bad or AWFUL.
Starting with moving the prodigal son and finishing with the acquisition of a draft pick.
Braves trade Kyle Wren to the Brewers for Zach Quintana
Hindsight says:
Meh.
In a move that was always more about divesting with Frank Wren than baseball; both prospects are still languishing in the minors, although Wren is at least at AA.
Braves trade Tommy La Stella to the Cubs for Arodys Vizcaino and international slot money
Hindsight says:
Good trade.
Not only would I take Viz>La Stella but the trade also netted the Braves about $800k more to spend on international free agents. Additionally the presence of Swanson/Albies makes La Stella replaceable.
Braves trade Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden to Cards for Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins
Hindsight says:
AMAZING TRADE.
I liked the trade when it was just Heyward for Shelby, but considering that we weren't going to resign Heyward and we were able to flip Shelby for Dansby/Blair/Ender..... this Heyward for Shelby trade may have been the singular best move of the current regime. Jordan Walden has pitched 10.1 innings since the trade, Heyward is hitting .217 with 1 HR and Jenkins has advanced to AAA. What a deal!!!!
Braves trade Justin Upton and Aaron Northcraft to Padres for Max Fried, Jace Peterson, Dustin Peterson, Mallex Smith
Hindsight says:
Good trade.
Again it comes down to the team wasn't going to sign Upton and they turned him into useful pieces. Fried had to sit out a year and is knocking off the rust in Rome -- I wouldn't judge him based on this season given the time he's missed and recently Coppy said he's hit 97 on the gun. Mallex has outperformed expectations and made it to Atlanta, Dustin Peterson is doing a solid job as a younger player in AA and Jace is organizational depth. Meanwhile Justin Upton is making bucco money to hit .223/.270/.319 with a WAR of -.5 and Northcraft is in AAA with an ERA of 5.01. Looking at hindsight, you turned a -.5 corner OF and a struggling AAA pitcher into Fried, Mallex, Jace and Dustin. Good trade.
Braves trade Kyle Kubitza and Nate Hyatt to Angels for Ricardo Sanchez
Hindsight says:
Bad trade.
Even if Kubitza wouldn't be the long-term answer at 3rd for the Bravos, it'd be nice to have another solid bat in the system at that spot - even if he's more of a utility guy with the glove. He's hitting .270/.375/.377 in AAA currently. Nate Hyatt is struggling, so no loss there. Meanwhile, Sanchez has a 5.23 ERA and reportedly just hurt his shoulder. There's still time to win this deal and Sanchez has always been a long-ways off - but for now I'm calling it bad.
Braves trade David Carpenter, Chasen Shreve to Yanks for Manny Banuelos
Hindsight:
Meh.
Nobody has really worked out in this deal, both Carpenter and Shreve have struggled with effectiveness or injury since the trade and Banuelos despite having some flashes has done the same. Obviously ManBan can still become a useful pitcher for the Braves probably in the pen which would tilt this deal, but until that happens -- meh.
Braves trade Evan Gattis, James Hoyt to Astros for Folty, Rio Ruiz and Andrew Thurman
Hindsight says:
Win-win.
Potential for this trade to be upgraded to Good, if Folty keeps pitching well or Ruiz pans out but for now its just a 'solid-win'. Gattis hasn't been great for the Astros, but at the same time he hit 27 dingers for them last year and is starting to heat up again this year, you could argue that the Astros would have rather have Folty right now, but he's been inconsistent throughout his time with Atlanta. For the Braves they've added possible answers in the rotation and at 3B, if either Rolty or Ruiz can cement a long-term spot this is a great deal for Atlanta. Thurman has stalled out.
Braves trade David Hale, Gus Schlosser to Rockies for Jose Briceno and Chris O'Dowd
Hindsight says:
meh
Hale got mostly shelled for Colorado and nobody else looks like a threat to do much.
Braves trade Edward Salcedo to Pirates for Bryton Trepagnier
Hingsight says:
major meh.
I can't even find what Salcedo is doing this year; I'm assuming he's out of baseball and Trepagnier walked 44 players and struck out 30 last year in AA. On a side note for everybody getting really excited for the international signing period (I'm one of those people!!) Salcedo was a major international prospect signed for over a million dollars and NEVER even threatened making the majors.
Braves trade Josh Elander to Diamondbacks for Trevor Cahill
Hindsight says:
Meh.
Cahill cratered for Atlanta and was more expensive, but Elander isn't a prospect and I can't even find stats for 2016 on him.
Braves trade Craig Kimbrel and Melvin (BJ) Upton to Padres for Matt Wisler, Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, Jordan Paroubeck and 2015 Supp. First Rounder
Hindsight says:
Good trade.
Honestly, I'm tempted to call this an AMAZING trade because I love Wisler and if that all you get for Kimbrel/Upton I still think its worth it, but you also got Maybin who provided MLB value and was flipped for a couple OK arms, Paroubeck would end up being flipped for international slot money and the 2015 pick became Austin Riley. Kimbrel has remained very good, but hasn't been quite as dominant as he was in Atlanta - he averaged about 3 WAR his last three seasons for the Braves and finished 2015 with a WAR of 1.3. How about Melvin? He's put it back together somewhat the last two seasons; he's slugging .416. Still this turned out to be a very good trade for the Braves when you consider what Wisler has done and how the extra pieces turned out.
Braves trade Victor Reyes to Diamondbacks for 2015 draft pick (75th overall)
Hindsight says:
Good trade
Potential to be upgraded to AMAZING trade, Reyes is still in A ball where he's hitting .257/.319/.329. Meanwhile the Braves converted the 75th pick into AJ Minter - who's stock had fallen because of some injury concerns, but certainly profiles as a potential closer. Minter so far in 2016; 10 IP, 0 ER, 11 SO, 3 BB, 2 H, .50 WHIP. Minter has the potential to be in the bullpen next year.
Braves trade Alberto Callaspo, Eric Stults, Ian Thomas, Juan Jaime to Dodgers for Chris Withrow and Juan Uribe
Hindsight says:
Amazing trade
Small deals can still lead to great things; none of the guys the Braves traded are going to come back and haunt them, but they were able to acquire two important pieces. Withrow might be a long-term piece in the middle of a bullpen and Uribe not only provided solid MLB value in his time with Atlanta, but was eventually flipped for John Gant and Rob Whalen --- both of whom have value as pitching prospects. Great trade.
Braves trade Phil Gosselin to Dbacks for Touki Toussaint and Bronson Arroyo
Hindsight says:
Amazing trade.
Yes Touki just walked 5 guys in .1 innings - don't care. He's still an electric arm that could become a dynamic bullpen guy if he's not a starter - and the Braves acquired him for Phil Gosselin and money. Robbery. Also, people need to remember that Touki is RAW, much like Fried don't give up on him too early.
Braves trade Garrett Fulencheck to Rays for $500,000 slot money
Hindsight says:
meh
Atlanta was backed into a corner because they wanted to spend decent money in 2015 on international guys but needed to avoid the penalties, so they parted ways with a projectable pitching prospect. Fulenchek however has been terrible so far in his career. Don't love it, but don't hate it either. If Garrett does turn into something this will obviously be a poor decision.
Braves trade Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe to Mets for John Gant and Rob Whalen
Hindsight says:
AMAZING trade.
This is how you do it, flip two unneeded pieces for potential impact guys. Gant has done nothing but impress since coming over from NYM and is on the doorstep of either starting or relieving at the MLB level. Whalen walks too many people but he's still just 22 and pitching at AA with a 3.42 ERA and good strikeout numbers. Home run deal for the Bravos.
Braves trade Jose Peraza, Alex Wood, Luis Avilan, Jim Johnson and Arroyo to Dodgers for Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, Zach Bird and the 40th pick
Hindsight says:
AWFUL TRADE.
Not going to spend much time here, because its been beaten to death.... but wtf?!
Forget for a second that Olivera has been an unmitigated disaster on and off the field but the live arm the Braves acquired in Zach Bird has had a mostly disastrous season as well in the minors. Now its certainly possible that Paco Rodriguez comes back and is able to help the pen, and its also possible that the 40th pick becomes a valuable player; but its hard to look at this as anything other than a disaster of a move.
Braves trade Chris Johnson to Cleveland for Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher
Hindsight says:
Meh
Salary dumps going both ways, really not much else to say. Chris Johnson never regained his 2013 BABIP form.
Braves trade Jonny Gomes to KC for Luis Valenzuela
Hindsight says:
Meh
Maybe LV can become something valuable down the road, but he's an older spec that's never been above AA.
Braves trade Andrelton Simmons, Jose Briceno to LAA for Sean Newcomb, Chris Ellis and Erick Aybar
Hindsight says:
Meh
I can't call this one yet, but my gut feeling is this is going to turn out to be a pretty good deal for the Braves, Newcomb is still raw, still walking too many guys, but the stuff is there. Ellis is pitching OK, walking too many guys, but there's some talent there. Aybar has been a disaster. Simmons' bat has gotten worse with the Angels in just about every aspect.
Braves trade Cameron Maybin to Tigers for Ian Krol and Gabe Speier
Hindsight says:
Meh
Krol has been OK in the pen and we used Spiere in the Shelby Miller deal, the bigger issue is we likely waited too long to deal Maybin and didn't get the value on him that we could have.
Braves trade Shelby Miller, Gabe Speier to DBacks for Dansby, Blair, Inciarte
Hindsight says:
LOL.
Nothing else to say. LOL. Actually one more thing to say..... .I hope Shelby gets back on track, I really liked him during his time with Atlanta, he didn't bitch about the bad offense and he played very well for us. But as for this trade? LOL
Braves trade Christian Bethancourt to Pads for Casey Kelly and Ricardo Rodriguez
Hindsight says:
Win-Win
I'll ALWAYS be slightly annoyed with how the Braves handled Bethancourt, but that being said, they weren't playing him so they moved him and got some interesting pieces back. Kelly could be a back-end starter or a bullpen piece and the catcher they picked up was a regarded international signing in 2014... who knows? Bethancourt for his part gets a new start and has hit for a some power this year.
All in all, I like the majority of the trades - that's obviously just my opinion; but when you look at how some of the smaller deals have worked out and how some of the larger players that were dealt (heyward, simmons, miller, upton) are playing right now; I think we've done very well.
Obviously some missteps along the way as well.
Some final notes -- I know there are a couple trades missing (international slot trades for example), blame BaseballAmerica, I'm just went down their list. Also I'm not going back and proofreading this thing, as its already longer than I intended it to be! So grammar Nazis; that's your warning lol.
Starting with moving the prodigal son and finishing with the acquisition of a draft pick.
Braves trade Kyle Wren to the Brewers for Zach Quintana
Hindsight says:
Meh.
In a move that was always more about divesting with Frank Wren than baseball; both prospects are still languishing in the minors, although Wren is at least at AA.
Braves trade Tommy La Stella to the Cubs for Arodys Vizcaino and international slot money
Hindsight says:
Good trade.
Not only would I take Viz>La Stella but the trade also netted the Braves about $800k more to spend on international free agents. Additionally the presence of Swanson/Albies makes La Stella replaceable.
Braves trade Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden to Cards for Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins
Hindsight says:
AMAZING TRADE.
I liked the trade when it was just Heyward for Shelby, but considering that we weren't going to resign Heyward and we were able to flip Shelby for Dansby/Blair/Ender..... this Heyward for Shelby trade may have been the singular best move of the current regime. Jordan Walden has pitched 10.1 innings since the trade, Heyward is hitting .217 with 1 HR and Jenkins has advanced to AAA. What a deal!!!!
Braves trade Justin Upton and Aaron Northcraft to Padres for Max Fried, Jace Peterson, Dustin Peterson, Mallex Smith
Hindsight says:
Good trade.
Again it comes down to the team wasn't going to sign Upton and they turned him into useful pieces. Fried had to sit out a year and is knocking off the rust in Rome -- I wouldn't judge him based on this season given the time he's missed and recently Coppy said he's hit 97 on the gun. Mallex has outperformed expectations and made it to Atlanta, Dustin Peterson is doing a solid job as a younger player in AA and Jace is organizational depth. Meanwhile Justin Upton is making bucco money to hit .223/.270/.319 with a WAR of -.5 and Northcraft is in AAA with an ERA of 5.01. Looking at hindsight, you turned a -.5 corner OF and a struggling AAA pitcher into Fried, Mallex, Jace and Dustin. Good trade.
Braves trade Kyle Kubitza and Nate Hyatt to Angels for Ricardo Sanchez
Hindsight says:
Bad trade.
Even if Kubitza wouldn't be the long-term answer at 3rd for the Bravos, it'd be nice to have another solid bat in the system at that spot - even if he's more of a utility guy with the glove. He's hitting .270/.375/.377 in AAA currently. Nate Hyatt is struggling, so no loss there. Meanwhile, Sanchez has a 5.23 ERA and reportedly just hurt his shoulder. There's still time to win this deal and Sanchez has always been a long-ways off - but for now I'm calling it bad.
Braves trade David Carpenter, Chasen Shreve to Yanks for Manny Banuelos
Hindsight:
Meh.
Nobody has really worked out in this deal, both Carpenter and Shreve have struggled with effectiveness or injury since the trade and Banuelos despite having some flashes has done the same. Obviously ManBan can still become a useful pitcher for the Braves probably in the pen which would tilt this deal, but until that happens -- meh.
Braves trade Evan Gattis, James Hoyt to Astros for Folty, Rio Ruiz and Andrew Thurman
Hindsight says:
Win-win.
Potential for this trade to be upgraded to Good, if Folty keeps pitching well or Ruiz pans out but for now its just a 'solid-win'. Gattis hasn't been great for the Astros, but at the same time he hit 27 dingers for them last year and is starting to heat up again this year, you could argue that the Astros would have rather have Folty right now, but he's been inconsistent throughout his time with Atlanta. For the Braves they've added possible answers in the rotation and at 3B, if either Rolty or Ruiz can cement a long-term spot this is a great deal for Atlanta. Thurman has stalled out.
Braves trade David Hale, Gus Schlosser to Rockies for Jose Briceno and Chris O'Dowd
Hindsight says:
meh
Hale got mostly shelled for Colorado and nobody else looks like a threat to do much.
Braves trade Edward Salcedo to Pirates for Bryton Trepagnier
Hingsight says:
major meh.
I can't even find what Salcedo is doing this year; I'm assuming he's out of baseball and Trepagnier walked 44 players and struck out 30 last year in AA. On a side note for everybody getting really excited for the international signing period (I'm one of those people!!) Salcedo was a major international prospect signed for over a million dollars and NEVER even threatened making the majors.
Braves trade Josh Elander to Diamondbacks for Trevor Cahill
Hindsight says:
Meh.
Cahill cratered for Atlanta and was more expensive, but Elander isn't a prospect and I can't even find stats for 2016 on him.
Braves trade Craig Kimbrel and Melvin (BJ) Upton to Padres for Matt Wisler, Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, Jordan Paroubeck and 2015 Supp. First Rounder
Hindsight says:
Good trade.
Honestly, I'm tempted to call this an AMAZING trade because I love Wisler and if that all you get for Kimbrel/Upton I still think its worth it, but you also got Maybin who provided MLB value and was flipped for a couple OK arms, Paroubeck would end up being flipped for international slot money and the 2015 pick became Austin Riley. Kimbrel has remained very good, but hasn't been quite as dominant as he was in Atlanta - he averaged about 3 WAR his last three seasons for the Braves and finished 2015 with a WAR of 1.3. How about Melvin? He's put it back together somewhat the last two seasons; he's slugging .416. Still this turned out to be a very good trade for the Braves when you consider what Wisler has done and how the extra pieces turned out.
Braves trade Victor Reyes to Diamondbacks for 2015 draft pick (75th overall)
Hindsight says:
Good trade
Potential to be upgraded to AMAZING trade, Reyes is still in A ball where he's hitting .257/.319/.329. Meanwhile the Braves converted the 75th pick into AJ Minter - who's stock had fallen because of some injury concerns, but certainly profiles as a potential closer. Minter so far in 2016; 10 IP, 0 ER, 11 SO, 3 BB, 2 H, .50 WHIP. Minter has the potential to be in the bullpen next year.
Braves trade Alberto Callaspo, Eric Stults, Ian Thomas, Juan Jaime to Dodgers for Chris Withrow and Juan Uribe
Hindsight says:
Amazing trade
Small deals can still lead to great things; none of the guys the Braves traded are going to come back and haunt them, but they were able to acquire two important pieces. Withrow might be a long-term piece in the middle of a bullpen and Uribe not only provided solid MLB value in his time with Atlanta, but was eventually flipped for John Gant and Rob Whalen --- both of whom have value as pitching prospects. Great trade.
Braves trade Phil Gosselin to Dbacks for Touki Toussaint and Bronson Arroyo
Hindsight says:
Amazing trade.
Yes Touki just walked 5 guys in .1 innings - don't care. He's still an electric arm that could become a dynamic bullpen guy if he's not a starter - and the Braves acquired him for Phil Gosselin and money. Robbery. Also, people need to remember that Touki is RAW, much like Fried don't give up on him too early.
Braves trade Garrett Fulencheck to Rays for $500,000 slot money
Hindsight says:
meh
Atlanta was backed into a corner because they wanted to spend decent money in 2015 on international guys but needed to avoid the penalties, so they parted ways with a projectable pitching prospect. Fulenchek however has been terrible so far in his career. Don't love it, but don't hate it either. If Garrett does turn into something this will obviously be a poor decision.
Braves trade Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe to Mets for John Gant and Rob Whalen
Hindsight says:
AMAZING trade.
This is how you do it, flip two unneeded pieces for potential impact guys. Gant has done nothing but impress since coming over from NYM and is on the doorstep of either starting or relieving at the MLB level. Whalen walks too many people but he's still just 22 and pitching at AA with a 3.42 ERA and good strikeout numbers. Home run deal for the Bravos.
Braves trade Jose Peraza, Alex Wood, Luis Avilan, Jim Johnson and Arroyo to Dodgers for Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, Zach Bird and the 40th pick
Hindsight says:
AWFUL TRADE.
Not going to spend much time here, because its been beaten to death.... but wtf?!
Forget for a second that Olivera has been an unmitigated disaster on and off the field but the live arm the Braves acquired in Zach Bird has had a mostly disastrous season as well in the minors. Now its certainly possible that Paco Rodriguez comes back and is able to help the pen, and its also possible that the 40th pick becomes a valuable player; but its hard to look at this as anything other than a disaster of a move.
Braves trade Chris Johnson to Cleveland for Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher
Hindsight says:
Meh
Salary dumps going both ways, really not much else to say. Chris Johnson never regained his 2013 BABIP form.
Braves trade Jonny Gomes to KC for Luis Valenzuela
Hindsight says:
Meh
Maybe LV can become something valuable down the road, but he's an older spec that's never been above AA.
Braves trade Andrelton Simmons, Jose Briceno to LAA for Sean Newcomb, Chris Ellis and Erick Aybar
Hindsight says:
Meh
I can't call this one yet, but my gut feeling is this is going to turn out to be a pretty good deal for the Braves, Newcomb is still raw, still walking too many guys, but the stuff is there. Ellis is pitching OK, walking too many guys, but there's some talent there. Aybar has been a disaster. Simmons' bat has gotten worse with the Angels in just about every aspect.
Braves trade Cameron Maybin to Tigers for Ian Krol and Gabe Speier
Hindsight says:
Meh
Krol has been OK in the pen and we used Spiere in the Shelby Miller deal, the bigger issue is we likely waited too long to deal Maybin and didn't get the value on him that we could have.
Braves trade Shelby Miller, Gabe Speier to DBacks for Dansby, Blair, Inciarte
Hindsight says:
LOL.
Nothing else to say. LOL. Actually one more thing to say..... .I hope Shelby gets back on track, I really liked him during his time with Atlanta, he didn't bitch about the bad offense and he played very well for us. But as for this trade? LOL
Braves trade Christian Bethancourt to Pads for Casey Kelly and Ricardo Rodriguez
Hindsight says:
Win-Win
I'll ALWAYS be slightly annoyed with how the Braves handled Bethancourt, but that being said, they weren't playing him so they moved him and got some interesting pieces back. Kelly could be a back-end starter or a bullpen piece and the catcher they picked up was a regarded international signing in 2014... who knows? Bethancourt for his part gets a new start and has hit for a some power this year.
All in all, I like the majority of the trades - that's obviously just my opinion; but when you look at how some of the smaller deals have worked out and how some of the larger players that were dealt (heyward, simmons, miller, upton) are playing right now; I think we've done very well.
Obviously some missteps along the way as well.
Some final notes -- I know there are a couple trades missing (international slot trades for example), blame BaseballAmerica, I'm just went down their list. Also I'm not going back and proofreading this thing, as its already longer than I intended it to be! So grammar Nazis; that's your warning lol.
