Atlanta Braves shopping Evan Gattis
It should come as no surprise to those who follow the Atlanta Braves–the team is actively looking for trade partners who might be interested in acquiring Evan Gattis, according to multiple writers within the industry:
Via Joel Sherman with the New York Post:
Word is #Braves pushing Gattis hard. AL teams interested since he could DH and play the field more sparingly
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 10, 2014
And FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal:
Can confirm report by @JoelSherman1 that #Braves’ Gattis is being pushed aggressively.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014
While many have noted that Gattis is a great offensive player that the Braves should look to keep in light of their offensive… umm… issues… one fact remains clear: American League teams see much more value in Gattis than what he can provide for the Braves.
In the AL Gattis can obviously get at bats as the designated hitter, and prevent his mediocre catching defense and abysmal outfield defense from harming the team. Since that’s clearly not possible in the National League, the Braves would be wise to get as much of a return as possible right now, as Gattis is coming off of a 22-homer season with a triple slash of .263/.317/.493.
While Christian Bethancourt doesn’t offer near the offensive potential of Gattis, it has been apparent for a while now that he is the preferred catcher of the future for the Braves.
In the meantime, Atlanta will look to supplement their offense elsewhere if/when Gattis is dealt, and hopefully supplement a depleted farm system with a trade.