John Hart and John Coppolella started the Braves’ trading frenzy with a relatively small deal Nov. 16, 2014, sending Tommy La Stella to the Cubs for reliever Arodys Vizcaino and two international bonus-pool slots worth about $800,000. It was a deal that hinted at the creativity to come from the deal-making Braves duo.
The next day the Braves traded Jason Heyward (and reliever Jordan Walden) to the Cardinals for starting pitchers Shelby Miller and prospect Tyrell Jenkins, and howls of protest were heard from Braves fans, again hinting at what lay ahead for Hart, president of baseball operations, and Coppolella, then assistant general manager and since promoted to GM.
They’ve drawn relentless criticism and disdain from many in Braves Country while trading away fan favorites, including Heyward, Justin Upton and Evan Gattis last offseason, closer Craig Kimbrel on the eve of 2015 opening day, and plenty more popular players during the second half of the 2015 season as the team spiraled.
But after Tuesday’s deal that sent Shelby Miller and minor league pitcher Gabe Speier to Arizona, Hart and Coppolella finally heard something new from the paying customers, not to mention from their peers in the industry and from the media covering the Winter Meetings. They heard a chorus of rave reviews over the package of talent they wrested from the Diamondbacks in the deal.
“It was a great day for our fans and for us,” Coppolella said. “What’s great is, we have such a cool room here of great scouts and great people. Being able to share that as a group was huge. … We’ve been hit hard (by criticism) on some trades that we’ve made, so it was nice to hear some positive stuff, rather than the alternative.”
The Braves’ trade bounty from Arizona included potential Gold Glove outfielder Ender Inciarte, top right-handed pitching prospect Aaron Blair and shortstop prospect Dansby Swanson, who played at Marietta High School and was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2015 June draft out of Vanderbilt. Swanson got a $6.5 million signing bonus after he was drafted, all paid by the Diamondbacks.
While some fans still rue the Heyward trade, the quantity and quality of players and prospects the Braves have leveraged from that one trade — from giving up one season of Heyward before free agency — is impressive.
“Let’s assume we hold Jason Heyward. We would have draft pick 35,” Coppolella said, noting the position of the compensatory pick the Braves would’ve received if they had kept Heyward for the 2015 season and then watched him leave as a free agent. “What we’ve turned that into, in essence is, pick (number) 1 in the 2015 draft, who’s paid for already; the signing bonus is paid. Ender Inciarte, who hit over .300, stole over 20 bases, was among the leaders in defensive runs saved. Aaron Blair, who had a 3.12 ERA in (Triple-A) Reno, one of the (best) hitter’s parks. As well as Tyrell Jenkins, who’s right at the door knocking.”
Jenkins was the Braves’ minor league pitcher of the year and could make his big-league debut during the 2016 season.
“I don’t know what’s going to be there at pick 35, but I’m thinking that might be better than pick 35,” Coppolella said, adding, “Our fans might not see it right now, but they will see it in time. And they’ll say, wow, these are some really good guys.”
The Braves saw a perfect storm of sorts this offseason and capitalized on it: The soaring cost of free-agent pitching, and the urgency that many teams felt to get one of the few top-shelf starting pitchers available via trade. A couple of contenders in the National League West, the Dodgers and Giants, were particularly motivated to trade for a starter after Dodgers ace Zack Greinke spurned offers from the Dodgers and Giants to sign a six-year, $206 million deal with the Diamondbacks.
The Giants and Dodgers made offers for Miller.
The other part of that perfect storm was Arizona’s desire to go all-in to win now.
Coppolella and Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart had discussed many trade scenarios for Miller beginning at the general managers meetings last month in Boca Raton, Fla., and over a casual Tuesday lunch – actually just drinks, Coppolella confided – they pushed the deal to the goal line when the Diamondbacks agreed to include Swanson with Inciarte and Blair.
The Braves envision Inciarte in center field in 2016, batting leadoff ahead of recently acquired shortstop Erick Aybar, giving the Braves a 1-2 speed combo at the top of the order like they’ve not seen recently. They’re projecting Swanson and homegrown prospect Ozzie Albies as their middle-infield duo for many years together, with ETAs of 2017 or 2018 for each.
Also Wednesday, the Braves agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran utility player Emilio Bonifacio, in hopes that he can bounce back from a career-worst 2014 season.
Provided he passes a physical, Bonifacio, 30, will have a $1.25 million salary in 2016, after making $4 million last season when he hit just .167 (13-for-78) with two doubles and a .198 on-base percentage in 47 games for the White Sox and was released in August.
Beyond the excitement that Hart and Coppolella felt about the returns on Tuesday’s trade, they also couldn’t contain their excitement about a turning point it seemed to mark for them and other Braves officials in the rebuilding process. They say they’re done with the teardown now, and this was the beginning of the buildup toward improving the team in 2016 but especially in 2017 and beyond, when the Braves are in their new ballpark in Cobb County. They’ve stockpiled prospects, turning one of baseball’s worst minor-league systems into arguably its deepest in just 13 months.
“We have what it takes to be what I call dangerous,” Hart said around midnight Tuesday. “You know why you’re dangerous? When you’ve got young players ready to go, ready to rock, that are Braves down to their core, that have had a chance to come (through the system), and you’ve got money. And we’re going to have both in ’17, boys.
“We ain’t going to be coming in here with an empty quiver, where we’ve got to just go buy (free-agent fixes). We’ve got to have young players to make this work, and we’re going to have them. And they may or may not be ready fully ready in ’17 … but we’re going to have not only good players with upside and makeup and all the things we talk about here, we’re going to have money to spend. And we’re going to be better in ’16 because of what we’re doing. That’s where we are.”
