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Thoughts about two new Atlanta Braves’ trade rumors

By Alan Carpenter

MIAMI, FL - JULY 10: Michael Fulmer #32 of the Detroit Tigers and the American League speaks with the media during Gatorade All-Star Workout Day ahead of the 88th MLB All-Star Game at Marlins Park on July 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JULY 10: Michael Fulmer #32 of the Detroit Tigers and the American League speaks with the media during Gatorade All-Star Workout Day ahead of the 88th MLB All-Star Game at Marlins Park on July 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – JULY 05: Jurickson Profar #19 of the Texas Rangers fields a ball against the Boston Red Sox in the top of the ninth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 5, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JULY 05: Jurickson Profar #19 of the Texas Rangers fields a ball against the Boston Red Sox in the top of the ninth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 5, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

If you have a more pronounced ringing in your ears this week, it’s because trade buzz is growing to a cacophony level.  But what to make of recent rumors?

I don’t care if you like the job John Coppolella has been doing as Atlanta Braves General Manager or not.  There’s no doubt, though, that he is tireless at the task – looking under every rock, leaving no stones unturned – doing everything he can to try and improve this club.

But even so, there are two rumors from this weekend that have to get some further attention:  one that seems downright puzzling; one that raises curiosity.

Let’s see if we can make some sense of these.

Braves Among Teams Looking at Jurickson Profar

The funny thing hear is that the Rangers have probably fielded hundreds of calls about Profar (and Joey Gallo) over the past 2-3 years… and still haven’t blinked, even as Profar has been unable to stick in the majors.

This season, the second baseman (who can play several other positions) has only been hitting .172 in the majors, but .301 in AAA.  That’s been a consistent theme since making the majors first in 2012:  a career average of .229 in 206 top-tier games since then.

His profile almost screams “change of scenery” or “mental block”, but the Rangers have clung to him as if he’s going to be their next version of Elvis Andrus.

So why do the Braves want a piece of that?

Well first off, the connection is a bit … sketchy.  The source is another Jon Heyman piece in FanRagSports.com, but the mention only names the Braves “among a few others”

Heyman points out that Jaime Garcia might be of interest to the Rangers (probably true), though suggests minor league pitching could be involved in a deal.

Honestly, if the Rangers want Garcia, I expect that such a deal would be straight up for Profar – at worst.

Fact is, the Rangers don’t have a lot of premium prospects available at any level, and even their #1 (Leodys Taveras) is a long way from the majors (Class A Hickory, NC).  So of course Profar’s name has to be raised – he’s almost all they have.

Still, Coppy loves ‘upside’, and Profar still has that – and he’s still under 24½ years old.  Plus, with other teams still interested in him, he could be flipped for somebody else.

So the notion that he’s a middle infielder and we’ve already got a mess of them isn’t going to be a barrier.  If there’s a deal to be made – for Garcia or somebody like that – then Profar is probably the right name to start with.

The rest will sort itself out.

But this next rumor… has crazy implications.

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