Atlanta Braves: Five Moves to Make Before the Deadline
By Kit Anderson
- Trade Adonis Garcia
Adonis Garcia has shown every good quality that coaches and fans like to see. He hasn’t caused any known issues in the clubhouse and has worked very hard to learn new positions and improve his defense. He took a huge step forward last season hitting .273 and flashing occasional power. Along with Garcia’s much improved defense he became an everyday player for the Braves.
Garcia is a nice story and seems to genuinely be a good person and player but he is thirty-one years old and still very much an unknown on defense. His defense is improved drastically but he isn’t a cornerstone player that the Braves want to build around. The Braves have two players in their minor league system who could play third base every day for the Braves. That is not to say that they will be ready right away to do so rather that while the Braves continue to rebuild they should be given an opportunity before it is time for the Braves to compete for postseason again.
Return expectations: It is hard to guess exactly what the Braves could get in return for the 31-year old Garcia. It is fair to guess that a competing team that needed a platooning DH or stopgap third baseman might be willing to give up a top thirty prospect. Though it is likely to be on the lower end of the spectrum.