Braves Acquire Justin Upton
What the heck? Is it the winter meetings again?
The Diamondbacks have finally traded Justin Upton. He and Chris Johnson go to Atlanta in return for Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, minor league shortstop Nick Ahmed, pitcher Zeke Spruill and third baseman Brandon Drury.
Wow.
First things first: the Mets were never going to put together a package like that for Upton. They simply cannot afford to send away that much volume.
Now, in terms of the deal, this makes plenty of sense for the Braves. Prado is the best player they gave away, and I believe he’ll be missed; he’s one of those “ballplayers” who does all the little things that lead to winning. He’s also an excellent hitter. But you have to give something to get something, and the Braves got something pretty good.
People are mixed about Upton – some say he’s a has-been, others say he’s on the cusp of greatness. I lean toward the latter. I don’t know that he’ll become a superstar, but considering he’s only 25, I’m betting he’ll put up numbers that are close to All-Star caliber over the next five years.
Further, don’t underestimate the acquisition of Chris Johnson. He quietly steps into the 3B hole left behind by the retired Chipper Jones, and he’ll be a solid if unspectacular replacement. He won’t hit 30 homers but he’ll probably hit about 15, maybe 20, and bat around .270-.280 — which is all the Braves will need with their suddenly potent lineup. Johnson needs to jack up his OBP and his defense absolutely has to improve, but he seems to be the type of player who works hard and can become at least adequate defensively. He and lefthanded-hitting Juan Francisco may prove to be a powerful platoon at 3B. Together, it’s realistic to expect the duo to provide 30+ homers — not too shabby.
Sound off in the comments.
About the Author
Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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Michael Bourn is not even close to the answer, That being said I think the Mets have to sign him. 3-4 years at whatever it is, even if you have to over pay. They need a legitimate MLB player in their OF.
Let’s see, what would this have been in Mets players…
Young starting pitcher with excellent odds to stick in the majors but long odds to be a difference-maker (Delgado). Well, at the beginning of 2011 that described Dillon Gee pretty well. Now? I dunno. McHugh? Syndergaard?
Contact-hitting veteran who’s a good overall player (Prado). Well, we don’t have anyone like that at the moment. I guess the closest is Murphy, who’s worse but also cheaper and with more years of team control.
Minor league SS (Ahmed) who still has a lot to prove. Hi, Wilfredo Tovar.
Teenage 3B who’s been bad in pro ball (Drury). Hi, Phillip Evans.
Finesse pitcher who can’t strike anyone out in AA (Spruill). Hi, Mark Cohoon.
So, what the Braves did was kind of like if we traded Murphy, Tovar, Evans, Cohoon, and a good rookie pitcher… for Justin Upton and a replacement for Murphy. In other words, a total steal.
Curse you, Kevin Towers…