Blue Jays acquire Yunel Escobar from Braves

[Post Count Padder]

This came outta nowhere. Steal for the Blue Jays.

 

The Blue Jays acquired shortstop Yunel Escobar and pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes from the Braves for shortstop Alex Gonzalez and minor leaguers Tim Collins and Tyler Pastronicky, according to a team press release. The Jays designated Ronald Uviedo for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

 

The move comes as a big surprise, as Escobar was perhaps one of the more valuable commodities in the game when the 2009 season concluded. Just a few days ago, MLB.com's Mark Bowman wrote that the Braves "simply aren't willing to sell low on a guy who they still view as the game's top defensive shortstop." Escobar was worth over four wins last year, but his power has disappeared in 301 plate appearances this year. Escobar will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season, so he'll be under the Jays' control through 2013. Escobar's attitude was a likely factor in the deal; Bowman wrote in June that "there's no doubt that Escobar's flamboyant approach to the game has continued to infuriate some members of the Braves organization."

 

Gonzalez will replace Escobar as the Braves' starting shortstop as they enter the second half with a four-game lead in the NL East. He doesn't get on base, but he's already hit 17 home runs on the season and continues to play strong defense.

 

Reyes, a 25-year-old southpaw, has spent most of the season at Triple A. His strikeout and walk rates are strong in his fourth stint at the level, but he's had problems with home runs and hits.

[SouthSideRyan]

Escobar supposedly had attitude issues or something.

[javy knows my name]

Escobar supposedly had attitude issues or something.

He's an absolute prick

[jersey cubs fan]

Flamboyant approach eh?

[nick23]

I had no idea Alex Gonzalez had 17 hr's. I figured it was a misprint.

[dew1679666265]

This strikes me as a really, really bad trade by Atlanta. Gonzalez is 33 and has a .296 OBP. Even with a SLG more than 200 points better than Yunel's, Gonzalez is only a 2.4 WAR player while Yunel is a 1.0 WAR player so far.

 

If Yunel starts hitting for any sort of power again (Zips projects more than a 100 point increase in the second half), he'll likely be as valuable or moreso than Gonzalez.

 

Tim Collins' numbers look intriguing, but I like Reyes a lot too still. Pastornicky doesn't look very impressive at all.

[dew1679666265]

This is the second trade at the deadline this year where the acquiring team has significantly overpaid to upgrade a position. Positive sign for trying to get max value for Lilly, Kosuke, etc.

[BeerHere]

Seems like a good long-term deal for the Jays. Short-term, Gonzalez is an offensive boost for the Braves. I'm sure the poor attitude helped push Escobar out the door but I wonder if the Braves are making an all-out effort to make the playoffs in the final year for both Chipper and Cox.

[Formerly Snayke]

I'm guessing Yunel's blonde tips had something to do with it.

[sneakypower]

buying low/selling high at its finest

[big_shooter17]

If we would be willing to trade Theriot, this makes you wonder what we could get for him. In the past I didn't think that he would net a great return, but maybe we could get something of value.

[Guest]

The Braves are really, really, good at evaluating talent. I'm not so sure this is the steal it looks like.

[SouthSideRyan]

The Mark Teixeira trade wasn't that long ago.

 

Either of them.

 

Or the Soriano trade

[TheVolCub08]

The Braves are really, really, good at evaluating talent. I'm not so sure this is the steal it looks like.

 

If career splits are any indication, this was not a great move by the Braves. Gonzalez gets progressively worse during the 2nd half, while Escobar gets progressively better. And the downgrade from Escobar's defense to Gonzalez's is noticeable as well.

 

This is a win-now type of move that I am not convinced will help the Braves win now. Which is fine, because I hate them so badly and enjoy seeing Braves fans in misery.

[mul21]

Ricciardi was on ESPN Radio gushing about the 2 prospects the Braves got back. I don't know if they're as good as he was saying or if he was just pumping up guys he helped draft, but he really made it sound like those guys were a more important part of the deal for the Braves than Gonzales.

[sweetpeteman]

Is it Pastornicky or Pastronicky? (BA, Cube, etc has it as the former, the news reports as the latter, I think its the former)

[NCCubFan]

Baseball Reference shows it as the former too, as does MiLB.com, so I'm sure that's it.

[Shilzzz]

most of the jerk stuff is way overblown, but escobar lollygags like none other. i think him lollypopping a toss to first the other day that almost got glaus' hand chopped off ala Derrek Lee a couple years ago was the final straw. but then he slowly waded under a pop fly that he proceeded to drop. if that kind of play is as often as the braves announcers made it seem during that game, i can see why he's out.

[cubsfan5150]

All in all, I don't question two many of the Braves moves. They typically make the right move as far as prospects go. Of course they moved Wainwright who I'm sure they'd love to have back, but over the past several years, they've been very good about moving the guys that eventually fizzle and keeping the stars.

[dew1679666265]

The Braves are really, really, good at evaluating talent. I'm not so sure this is the steal it looks like.

 

Even if both Reyes and Escobar end up busting, the return the Braves got back (especially Gonzalez) is just bad. Collins intrigues me, but the Braves' offensive help for the second half of the year is a guy with a .296 OBP who Zips projects to hit 6 more home runs this year and have a .414 SLG.

 

Even if it's not a massive steal for the Jays as it appears now, I don't see how it's not a bad trade for the Braves (since Gonzalez likely won't be very good the rest of the year).

[dew1679666265]

The Mark Teixeira trade wasn't that long ago.

 

Either of them.

 

Or the Soriano trade

 

Yeah, Frank Wren has been very unimpressive since taking over. Schuerholz just about always made great trades, Wren has acquired Kotchman for Teixeira, Jesse Chavez for Rafael Soriano, Melky Cabrera for Javy Vazquez and now Alex Gonzalez for Yunel Escobar.

[dew1679666265]

Fangraphs' analysis of the trade from each perspective:

 

Braves

 

Jays

 

It’s been a whirlwind eight months for Jays’ general manager Alex Anthopoulos. He lost their previous starting shortstop, Marco Scutaro, to Boston, and replaced him with Boston’s old shortstop, Gonzalez, only to send him packing three-fourths of a year later for a younger player at the same position with recent history (and likely the future) on his side. Even if this deal doesn’t entirely work out in the Jays’ favor, and Escobar bombs out of the league before reaching free agency, this has to be looked upon as a pretty worthwhile risk for the Jays, who haven’t had a consistent shortstop for ages.

 

After further examination, this trade doesn’t seem nearly as bad for the Braves as it did at first glance. Toronto still won their end, but that doesn’t preclude the Braves from claiming victory as well. They’ve gotten rid of a player whom they clearly do not like, and replaced him with a player who, if nothing else, will provide value on defense. The prospects also help out, and while neither projects as a future star both can be useful pieces in a year or two. Maybe it’s a win, though I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. But it doesn’t look like the clear loss I had imagined when digging into the topic.

[treebird]

After further examination, this trade doesn’t seem nearly as bad for the Braves as it did at first glance. Toronto still won their end, but that doesn’t preclude the Braves from claiming victory as well. They’ve gotten rid of a player whom they clearly do not like, and replaced him with a player who, if nothing else, will provide value on defense. The prospects also help out, and while neither projects as a future star both can be useful pieces in a year or two. Maybe it’s a win, though I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. But it doesn’t look like the clear loss I had imagined when digging into the topic.

 

 

this is a pretty dumb way to defend a trade.

 

also, looking at escobar batted ball numbers, there's really no reason to think he isn't due an immediate turnaround, unless he's so lazy that he's intentionally popping the ball up on the infield four times more often than usual so he doesn't have to run hard to first base.

[Guest]

The Mark Teixeira trade wasn't that long ago.

 

Either of them.

 

Or the Soriano trade

How's Saltalamacchia working out for the Rangers?

[dew1679666265]

The Mark Teixeira trade wasn't that long ago.

 

Either of them.

 

Or the Soriano trade

How's Saltalamacchia working out for the Rangers?

 

Not well, but Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus are doing very, very well. Casey Kotchman also has a .670 OPS as a 27-year-old first baseman for the Mariners right now.