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5 Best and 5 Worst Trades of the Atlanta Braves Rebuild: Part 2

By Stephen Tolbert

Mar 8, 2017; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb (76) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb (76) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 8, 2017; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb (76) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb (76) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

In part one we looked at the trades that worked out for the Atlanta Braves during their exhaustive rebuild. Today we’re looking at the ones that didn’t, or at least to this point, haven’t worked the way they hoped.

While I’m sure some of you had a few issues with part one of this Atlanta Braves rebuild series, this is the one I suspect will invoke the most disagreement so I’m going to echo what I said in yesterday’s intro:

  • This is inherently a subjective exercise. While I’ll use as much universal logic as possible to explain my opinions, at the end of the day, they’re my opinions. You’ll disagree with them and I’m completely fine with that. I even encourage it. World would be boring if everyone agreed on everything. Just be respectful.
  • Remember, we aren’t connecting the dots down the line to future trades. Each trade is valued on its own merit.

To the list!

  1. Braves trade OF Kyle Wren to Milwaukee for SP Zach Quintana

It’s not easy finding 5 bad trades during this rebuild and that’s a testament to the 3 Johns and the Braves front office collectively, especially given how many deals have been made total.

But this one I didn’t like. I didn’t like it when it happened and like it even less now. You can, of course, understand the reason behind it. The organization had just fired Kyle’s father and the easiest thing to do was just move on from the entire family. Makes sense.

The problem with that plan, however, was Kyle was a good player for the Braves. And based on the numbers he put up last year with the Brewers, he’s still a good player.

The 136 wRC+ he put up in AAA last year was one of the highest in the league, and while that number was inflated by an unsustainable .414 BABIP, Kyle still profiles as a solid backup CF/4th OF type player.

Meanwhile Quintana pitched 45 very forgettable innings for the High A Mudcats last year and as far as I can find, is no longer with the organization.

Remember we are going to have to nitpick a bit to make this list but Atlanta traded a perfectly useful player for a not-so useful player and the fact that the Braves are still looking for useful bench options for the 2017 club doesn’t make it any better.

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