The Braves have agreed to trade third baseman Juan Uribe and outfielder Kelly Johnson to the Mets for a pair of minor-league pitching prospects.
The Braves will receive right-handed starters John Gant and Rob Whalen in exchange for the two veterans. The trade has yet to be finalized but the Braves scratched Uribe from the lineup and Johnson was not available off of the bench in anticipation of the deal being completed.
The trade will leave the Braves’ already power-deficient lineup with even less pop. Johnson ranked second on the team with nine home runs and Uribe’s seven home runs rank fourth. Freddie Freeman, the team leader in homers with 12, isn’t expected to return from the disabled list until Thursday.
Johnson signed a minor-league contract with the Braves in January for a chance at his second stint with the team after he played for them from 2005 to 2009. He made the big-league club out of camp and then earned regular playing time while hitting .275 with a .321 on-base percentage and .451 slugging percentage.
The Braves acquired Uribe as part of a trade with the Dodgers on May 27 and made him their regular third baseman. In 26 games with the Braves Uribe hit .285 (43-for-151) with a .353 on-base percentage and .426 slugging percentage.
Gant, 22, has pitched five minor-league seasons after the Mets selected him in the 21st round of the 2011 draft. In 11 starts for Double-A Binghamton this season Gant is 4-5 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.57 walks and hits allowed per inning pitched.
Whalen, 21, hasn’t pitched above the high Single-A level. In 15 games (14 starts) for St. Lucie this season Whalen is 4-5 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.28 walks and hits allowed per inning pitched.
