Over the last week, there was a burgeoning debate about which of the Atlanta Braves outfielders might get traded. That debate is over before it ever really began because the Braves just traded Jason Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins:
The #Braves have acquired RHP Shelby Miller and RHP Tyrell Jenkins from the Cardinals in exchange for OF Jason Heyward and RHP Jordan Walden
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 17, 2014
For Atlanta, this deal helps shore up their rotation by adding Miller. After a rookie campaign in 2013 that had Miller looking like top-end arm, he took a big step back in 2014 seeing his strikeout rate plummet, his walk rate increase and his ERA jump from 3.06 to 3.74 and an even uglier 4.54 FIP. Still, at just 24 years old, Miller is hardly a lost cause. Plus, he has four years of team control left, which appears to be the real point of this deal for Atlanta. The addition of former first round pick Jenkins gives Atlanta additional rotation depth in the low minors.
The Braves clearly decided that they weren’t going to be able to afford Heyward once he hit free agency after this season. Though he has been a bit erratic offensively, Heyward figures to land a huge contract when he hits the open market at the age of 26. While his power comes and goes, he’s got strong on-base skills and is an excellent defender. Having been worth nearly 12 fWAR the last three seasons, Heyward is in prime position to cash in, just like his former Atlanta teammate Justin Upton. The Braves couldn’t sign both, so Heyward got himself an early ticket out of town.
As for St. Louis, this was a move born out of unfortunate necessity. After the recent death of Oscar Taveras, the Cardinals needed a solution in right field. It is hard to find a much better solution this offseason than Jason Heyward. As an added bonus, the Cards pick up flame-throwing reliever Jordan Walden who figures to slot in as a top setup man for Trevor Rosenthal.
In all, this is a big win-now move for the Cardinals who will have to deal with Heyward’s impending free agency themselves next offseason. That’s a long-term risk for them, but the deal allows them to trade a declining asset from an area of depth and get back to quality pieces that address major weaknesses. That’s a hard trade not to like from the St. Louis perspective.
From the Atlanta side, this isn’t necessarily a rebuilding move, but it isn’t a win-now move either. If you think that B.J. Upton actually deserves to be on the field, this is a trade from Atlanta’s own area of depth. They can now stop shopping Evan Gattis and move forward with a cheap, young rotation. It is hard to argue that this move makes them a better team, but they should still be good enough to compete in the NL East.
