Getting The Band Back Together
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Tuesday July 30th at 6pm or known in the baseball world as “the trade deadline” has come and gone for 2024.
While there weren’t any blockbuster deals for the Braves, or any team for that matter, Alex Anthopoulos and company did pull off a couple deals to improve an Atlanta club down the back stretch.
The Braves sat eight and a half games out of the NL East division race at the trade deadline but were clinging to a one game lead in the Wild Card chase.
While a few free agent signings add some pieces to an injury riddled lineup, the only trade made at the deadline was with San Francisco to bring a couple former Braves World Series impact players back to “The A.”
First off, this trade deadline was unlike others in recent memory. 2024 proved to be hugely a “seller’s market” with higher returns required because of the very few number of teams that were actually sellers.
As the standings sit, there are twenty-one MLB Teams that are within five games of one of the twelve playoff spots between the two leagues (either to division leads or one of the three wildcard slots).
The addition of the third Wild Card team a few years ago by MLB has brought mixed reviews. The intention was to bring exactly what it has in 2024 where more teams are still in contention for postseason. The downside is it drives the price up at the deadline and has mediocre teams that are contending for postseason play.
That out of the way, we turn the attention to the additions for the Braves this week. The only trade made before the Tuesday deadline was with the San Francisco Giants.
Atlanta sends reliever Tyler Matzek and infield prospect Sabin Ceballos to the west coast in return for two players that were integral in the 2021 World Championship for the Braves in Jorge Soler and bullpen piece Luke Jackson.
Soler brought home the 2021 World Series MVP for Atlanta after hitting three home runs and six RBI against the Houston Astros to secure the fourth World Championship in franchise history.
This is a very similar scenario to how Soler was acquired by Atlanta in the magical 2021 season. Three years to the day prior to the July 30th trade this year, Soler was traded to the Braves from Kansas City.
After 2021, Soler has spent the 2022 and 2023 season with the Marlins. Soler hit .250 with Miami last season knocking in thirty-six homers and drove in seventy-five RBI.
After signing with San Francisco in February, Soler has hit .240 with twelve long balls and 40 RBI. While it’s a red flag to some that Soler hasn’t played the field this season (served as the DH for all ninety-three games for the Giants), the Braves see a serviceable outfielder while also gaining a huge improvement to fill the leadoff spot in the lineup.
Luke Jackson spent five years in the Atlanta bullpen from 2017-2021 including a fantastic 2021 season that posted career bests 1.98 ERA in seventy-one appearances.
After missing all of 2022 with a UCL injury with the Braves, Jackson also battled injuries in 2023 with San Francisco with thirty-three appearances.
This season hadn’t gone the way Jackson would have liked to the tune of a 5.40 ERA in thirty-six appearances. While the Braves pen has been a strength, Jackson will be appearing in non-pressure situations.
So, what did the Braves part with to bring a couple of World Champions back to Atlanta?
Tyler Matzek played a crucial role in the 2021 Championship, but since has only appeared in fifty-three games at the big-league level with Atlanta in the past 3 years and only eleven since the end of 2022.
While Matzek quickly became a fan favorite, this may be a scenario where the change of scenery does Matzek good, and who knows…. we’ve seen plenty of fan favorite players back in the A before.
The other piece that departs the Braves organization is Sabin Ceballos, the former Oregon catcher who had turned into an infield piece after being drafted in the 3rd round of 2023.
While this deal may not be the blockbuster moves that everyone always clammers for, this could be a huge deal in the long run for Atlanta, and maybe some Anthopolous magic strikes again!
