At this point in time, no one should want to bring in a prospect from the Atlanta Braves. Especially the Oakland A’s.
The A’s return for Matt Olson was already questionable at best. Cristian Pache was considered one of the centerpieces of the deal, a top 100 prospect with a stellar glove and plenty of speed. The only question was whether or not he would hit. It turns out that he could not; now, a year later, he failed to make the A’s Opening Day roster. As he is out of options, Oakland is going to attempt to trade him or will risk losing him on waivers. Good luck with getting anything for him.
The last worthwhile prospect the Atlanta Braves traded was…?
The A’s are not the only team the Braves have victimized over the years. They have displayed an uncanny ability to keep the right players as virtually every prospect they have traded failed to live up to potential. It is a trend going back years – Juan Yepez seemed ready to break that streak, but he has been sent back to Triple-A. The Braves traded him in 2017. Before that, one would have to go back to Alex Wood (2015) or Tommy La Stella (2014) to find a young player the Braves traded that became anything.
However, both Wood and La Stella had major league experience at the time. If one is looking for a prospect that made a difference after leaving the Braves organization, that journey goes back to 2013 when Nick Ahmed was sent to Arizona as part of the package for Justin Upton and Chris Johnson.
Ahmed has been a solid player. Although he has never made an All Star Game, he is a two time Gold Glove winner at short. His 74 zone runs saved at short are the 18th best in MLB history. While his lifetime .236/.290/.382 batting line over 2953 plate appearances is not even close to impressive, his glove has made him a viable major league option.
It also speaks volumes to the players that the Braves have sent away when Ahmed is the best of the bunch. He is a solid role player but that is about all he is. If that is the best player that the Braves have traded away, their talent evaluation department has done their job.
The Atlanta Braves have done a tremendous job at keeping the right prospects. Nick Ahmed is the last one to have had a notable career.
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