What would have the Atlanta Braves given up to trade for Christian Yelich?

Braves would have given up a lot for Yelich

If you DVR’d MLB Network all day today and stayed off social media…here’s a spoiler alert…the Miami Marlins traded Christian Yelich — and it wasn’t to the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves were rumored to be in trade talks with the Marlins for quite some time now, but it turned out to be all it was…talks. Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters that the Marlins had asked for top prospect Ronald Acuna. AA’s response? Nope, not trading Acuna. And the discussions ended there.

If a trade went through with Acuna and Yelich, Anthopoulos would have been on the hot seat from that day forward. Once Acuna explodes onto the scene in 2018, and he will, all heck would break loose. And what if Yelich struggled in Atlanta. Oh geez.

But that didn’t happen. We can all move forward now. One thing that is nice to see, the MLB Hot Stove is starting to pick up steam.

The Marlins traded Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Lewis Brinson, Isan Diaz, Monte Harrison and Jordan Yamamoto.

Since all the talk for a few weeks now was “what would you give up for Christian Yelich” and the trade finally went through, I thought we could do a little reflecting.

What would the Braves have given up for Yelich?

I’m going to use MLB Pipeline for comparisons. First, here’s a look at who the Brewers gave up.

This list is where the players who were traded slotted into Milwaukee’s top prospect list.

1. Outfielder Lewis Brinson – 23-years-old, in 2017 hit .331/.400/.562 line in 340 PAs in Triple-A. He made his MLB debut on June 11 and hit just .106 with 17 strikeouts in 47 at-bats. He should be able to make the right adjustments to compete at the MLB level.

4. Outfielder Monte Harrison – 22-years-old, in 2017 hit .272/.350/.481 between Single-A and High Single-A with 21 homers. He’s a big boy, 6-3, 220-pounds, with huge power potential. He’s been struck with the injury bug, but I read he was fully healthy and played really well in the Arizona Fall League.

7. Second base, shortstop Isan Diaz – 21-years-old, in 2017 hit .222/.334/.376 in 455 PA at the High Single-A level with 13 homers and nine steals.

22. Right-handed pitcher Jordan Yamamoto – 21-years-old with a fastball that sits at 89-92 MPH. He hasn’t pitched above the High Single-A level, but it looks like he was going to get a starting rotation gig with the Double-A team.

So there it is laid out as the departing Milwaukee players. That’s how they were ranked when they were with the Brewers…but now that they’re with the Marlins…

Brinson immediately jumped to the Marlins top prospect and Harrison is #2. MLB Pipeline has slotted Diaz as the Marlins #9 best prospect. Yamamoto didn’t crack the top 30.

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If we did the same math, the Braves would have given up the following…

1. Outfielder Ronald Acuna

4. Right-handed pitcher Mike Soroka

7. Left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz

22. Left-handed pitcher Ricardo Sanchez

Right out of the gate, you’re probably already thinking “nope”. Not with Acuna in this. The Soroka hurts really bad. Even Wentz and Sanchez.

It’s not known what the Marlins were going after except for top prospects. They definitely got them with Brinson and Harrison.

If the Marlins were going after strictly positional guys instead of pitchers, hypothetically, the Braves could have been trading

1. Outfielder Acuna

9. Third baseman Austin Riley

10. Outfielder Christian Pache

Next: Heyman: Braves showing interest in Nunez

Some may argue with this and I see your points, but I’m glad the Braves didn’t trade for Yelich.

Was Yelich worth it for the Brewers? You can make your own judgment on that one.

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