After the Braves acquired Matt Olson in March, they signed Collin McHugh, brought back Eddie Rosario and signed Kenley Jansen in that same week.
After the Athletics traded Olson, they eventually dealt All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman and talented starting pitcher Sean Manaea as part of their fire sale.
The Braves and A’s are headed in separate directions. One is trying to win now, the other is entering a rebuild.
“Definitely a little different,” Olson said before Tuesday’s game against his former team.
Olson didn’t make much of his first games against the only franchise he ever knew before the Braves traded for him. “It’s another baseball game,” he said, though he acknowledged that it would be nice to see old teammates.
He’s in a much different situation now, though. The Braves, coming off a World Series title, have lofty expectations and a roster that can meet them. Oakland, which now features former Brave Cristian Pache, doesn’t have many names a casual fan would know.
Olson is far too kind – and smart – to publicly bash the Athletics. The difference in his situation is undeniable, though.
“I understand Oakland was definitely under some budgetary restrictions, and (general manager) David (Forst) and (executive vice president of baseball operations) Billy (Beane) had to do what they could with what they were given,” Olson said. “The time in Oakland, we were always competing and finding a way. You find a way to rally around it.
“But coming here, it was clear right away that (Braves president of baseball operations) Alex (Anthopoulos) and everybody up top is committed to winning and will do what it takes to find a way to find a way and get the players and get everything that the players need to be successful. That speaks a lot.”
Entering the two-game set with Oakland, the Braves had won five in a row. They returned home above .500 after a trip out West.
The Braves already have drawn more than 1 million fans at Truist Park. They are averaging 37,386 fans per home game, which ranks third in baseball.
Oakland, which has drawn 8,283 fans per home game, ranks last in that category. There are nights when the A’s are playing in front of only a few thousand people.
“When you can hear one fan’s opinion crystal clearly, it is different,” Olson said. “I’m not trying to rag on Oakland, but there is a different feel when there’s 3,000 people in the stands as opposed to when there’s 40,000.”
And the Braves’ stadium is much newer.
“I think being on this side of it now – having such a good fan base, a new stadium here – it’s easier to get that feel of a big-league game here. If there’s a couple thousand people in the stands, it’s a little different, a little harder to get the juices flowing a little bit.”
Oakland, of course, misses Olson. The A’s could use his bat in the lineup and his glove on defense.
Asked about Olson, A’s manager Mark Kotsay called the first baseman “a class act.”
“You hate to lose a guy like that that you write in the lineup every single day,” Kotsay said. “He’s as consistent as you can get. He’s young. He’s growing. Even though he’s a star right now, he has more room to grow. But more than that, just the way he carries himself and handles himself in the clubhouse with his teammates. He’s an exceptional young man.”
On Monday, Olson saw old teammates Chad Pinder, Tony Kemp and Paul Blackburn. Their hotel is not far from Olson’s house.
They are among the names Olson still knows from a squad that was partially torn down before the season.
“There’s definitely a lot of new faces,” Olson said.
That’s only one indicator of the obvious: With the Braves, Olson is in a much better situation to win.
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