Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: the last big starter trade deal

With all the talk and rumors going ’round about Sonny Gray, let’s review the last time Atlanta traded for an established young controllable starter.

The latest:  The Oakland A’s want an “elite” center fielder.  The Atlanta Braves want Sonny Gray.  The Yankees want him, too, and many think that they are going for both Gray and Yonder Alonso.

Gray pitched last night and went six innings at Toronto.  He gave up 4 runs – all unearned – walked 2 and struck out 9 while allowing 5 hits in a 4-1 loss.

In attendance were scouting representatives from the Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, Brewers, Indians, Pirates(!) and Royals.  Susan Slusser noted that the Astros were not present, but are still a ‘frontrunner’ for Gray.  The Braves were mentioned in passing.

Comparing a Deal

So sure – the Braves are interested, though the chance of getting this done is probably not high, given the competition.

Still, there’s a history here that’s worth reviewing.  Let’s compare that to somebody else we know that came from Oakland:  Tim Hudson.

Sonny Gray’s carrer with Oakland has been pretty solid:  his ERA+ numbers, starting in 2013, are 146, 120, 143, 71 (injury year), and 122 (current).  He will be 28 years old in November.

Before being traded to Atlanta, Hudson ERA+ numbers were 142, 113, 129, 145, 165, 129.  Same ballpark.  Slightly better, but comparable.  Hudson turned 28 five months before being traded.

The deal was made on December 17, 2004.  The Braves gave up outfielder Charles Thomas along with pitchers Juan Cruz and Dan Meyer in that 2004 trade.  Remember those prospects?  I didn’t think so.

Cruz was a former top prospect – rising to 6th overall in 2002 as a Cub.  He became a Brave for 2004 (6-2, 2.75 as a reliever).  He bounced around a lot after this deal, only being with Oakland for 2005 (and not doing well).  Hung on until 2012 with the Pirates – his seventh organization.

Thomas played 83 games for the Braves in 2004, 30 for the A’s in 2005, and then never cracked the majors again.

Meyer was the 82nd ranked prospect in 2004.  He had 2 innings with Atlanta in 2004, 16 with the A’s in 2007 – part as a starter, part a reliever, became a Marlin in 2009-10, and a Pirate at the AAA level to finish in 2011.  He totaled just 113 major league innings.

Huddy, a native of Phenix City, Alabama, pitched 9 seasons in Atlanta (missing most of 1 with Tommy John surgery).

His ERA+ with the Braves was a notch lower than in his time in the American League:  121, 92, 131, 132, 115, 138, 119, 110, 94 (his age 37 season).  He averaged 120 over a 17 year career.

Yeah – We Won this one

Clearly, the Braves won that trade.  In fact, it was all together lopsided.

You could suggest “well, it was 13 years ago”, but while fans have a lot more information about players and their performance that we didn’t have at our fingertips back then, the baseball professionals did.  And Oakland seemed to think that this was a good return for them.

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The ‘centerpiece’ was Dan Meyer – and it wasn’t like there was no competition for Atlanta in the deal, either.  Here’s ESPN’s write-up at the time:

"The trade was finalized around midday Thursday, said Beane, who until Wednesday was still talking to three teams about Hudson. The A’s wanted to make sure they acquired a pitcher — Meyer — who could compete right away for a spot in the rotation.“Meyer has pitched at every level successfully,” Beane said. “He has a sterling track record up to this point, and he’s a guy we’ve always liked.”… “We certainly traded a major part of our franchise in Tim, but we’ve also upgraded,” Beane said."

There are several interesting parallels between the two situations, but that’s as far as the comps can go… unless the Braves actually step in and repeat history this week.

The Box

Here’s your box score from a happy result last night that saw Mike Foltynewicz stifle a tough offense while his battery mate continued to rake.

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Next: What Oakland Wants - which is scary

TODAY: An Afternoon matinee as Aaron Blair gets a chance against his original parent club.  2:40PM EDT against Patrick Corbin and the Diamondbacks.