The Braves completed a trade with the Cardinals for first baseman Matt Adams on Saturday as the team played a game against the Nationals. Adams is expected to be the everyday first baseman as Freddie Freeman sits out at least 10 weeks after suffering a fractured right wrist on Wednesday.
Braves manager Brian Snitker and players reacted to the trade after their 5-2 victory over the Nationals at SunTrust Park.
Manager Brian Snitker
On his reaction to the trade
“Really good. I saw it in the rain delay and I came in and said, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good.’ I told (GM John Coppolella) that’s a great job. He’ll make us better. That’s a legit guy. We are looking forward to seeing him and I’m sure he’s looking forward to getting here. What he does is lengthen our lineup again.”
On Adams not getting much playing time with the Cardinals
“We saw that when we played them. It’s a great opportunity for him to come in and play. He’s been a productive guy for a while. I’ve liked him for a while from afar and I have buddies of mine who have had him in the minor leagues and big leagues and can’t say enough good things about the guy.”
On if the front office sends a message with the move
“That’s a great thing when your team upstairs, when that happened they are burning the midnight oil to try and help the club. That says a lot to those guys in there that we are not just going to abandon you, we are going to try to go out and make this thing good. And they did. They did a great job in getting Matt Adams for us.”
Second baseman Brandon Phillips
On his reaction to the trade
“Wow, I didn’t know that. That’s very surprising. That’s a good move. I like Matt Adams. I played against him so many times in my division (while with the Reds). He’s a great hitter. He can be better than what he is. He had a great spring. He looked good against us. I’m looking forward to him being a teammate. Just losing Freddie, regardless of who comes in and replaces him at the time, you can’t replace no Freddie Freeman.”
Left fielder Matt Kemp
On if the trade helps the team
“Yeah, for sure. He’s a proven hitter. He’s had some really good years with St. Louis. I’ve played against him a lot. Even in the playoffs, he had some really big hits when I was with the Dodgers. He’s got clutch hitting under his belt and he’s played on a really good team so he knows how to win.
On the message the move sends to the team
“We are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Obviously we are going to miss Freddie but we have to get guys to step up. You can’t replace a guy like Freddie Freeman but you can try to play as good of baseball as you can and wait until he gets back.”
