LOS ANGELES – The Braves filled both of their trade-deadline priorities with one deal Thursday, acquiring left-handed reliever James Russell and versatile veteran Emilio Bonifacio in exchange for minor league catcher/third baseman Victor Caratini, a solid hitting prospect.
The Braves also got $1 million from the Cubs in the deal to help offset an approximate $1.5 million left on the combined 2014 salaries of Bonifacio and Russell. The deal wasn’t finalized until right at the 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline, and an email outage at the Braves offices briefly left general manager Frank Wren worried the deal wouldn’t get done.
“Quite frankly this deal, it came to us late,” Wren said. “We explored separate pieces – Bonifacio separately, Russell separately – and it really came together probably in the last 35, 40 minutes before the deadline. I really didn’t anticipate that.”
Bonifacio and Russell will join the Braves in San Diego for the three-game series that starts Friday. The team will wait until Friday to announce corresponding roster moves.
The Braves prioritized getting a lefty reliever and bench help, and Wren thought they might have to wait until August to try to fill those needs through waiver trades that can be difficult to complete.
Russell, 28, has a 3.51 ERA in 44 appearances and 26 strikeouts with 16 walks in 33 1/3 innings, and the Braves will have him under contractual control through the 2015 season before he’s eligible for free agency. Wren said they wouldn’t have traded Caratini in the deal if they hadn’t had control of Russell through next season.
“It’s hard to wrap your head around it,” Russell told Chicago reporters after the deal was finalized during the Cubs’ afternoon game. “It’s a shock. I kind of knew things were going to happen. There’s nothing you can really prepare yourself for this. It’s still kind of weird. I don’t know how to feel. There’s a lot of excitement and mixed emotions. It’s going to be a good thing.
“(Being in a playoff race) will be exciting. It’s something I’ve never experienced . I’m sure there will be a lot of adrenaline and emotion. It will be fun. I’ll get to see what I’m made of.”
Bonifacio, 29, provides experience and a jolt of speed and versatility for a Braves bench that has lagged this season. The switch-hitter batted .279 with a .318 on-base percentage, 19 extra-base hits (two homers) and 14 stolen bases in 20 attempts over 69 games (298 plate appearances) with the Cubs, and played center field and every infield position except first base.
“He’s always a pain to play against,” Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons said. “It’s going to be fun having him on the team and not have to worry about him stealing bases (against the Braves). He’s going to steal bases for us.”
In 270 at-bats as a leadoff hitter for the Cubs, Bonifacio hit .281 with 19 extra-base hits (two homers) and a .319 OBP.
“He’s a guy that gives you a lot of versatility,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who had Bonifacio on Marlins teams he managed in 2009 and 2010. ” You can play him anywhere on the field, obviously off the bench, and you can start him if the matchup is right. Nice National League player.”
“You like the speed. I know he’s had some leg issues in the past, but you like the speed on the basepaths. And a great guy. Upbeat, knows the game. Terrific person.”
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said six teams pursued a trade for Bonifacio.
“He was a pretty easy guy to be interested in,” Hoyer said. “He’s a guy who is a benefit to a team on a postseason roster and in September. He makes anyone better. Any team interested team was likely a playoff team for a reason.”
Wren said, “There are two pieces that we really liked. Bonifacio is a really versatile bench player that can do a lot of things or us. He can play a lot. If you have injuries and you need him to play a lot, he can. And in Russell’s case, he’s another veteran bullpen arm. He’s not your conventional left-handed shutdown guy versus lefties, but he shuts down righties really well and does fine against lefties.”
Russell has actually been tougher against right-handed hitters than against lefty hitters this season, with a .295 opponents’ average (18-for-61) and .358 OBP by lefties and stingy .103 (6-for-58) and .243 OBP by righties. However, over the previous three seasons lefties hit .230 with a .261 OBP against him and righties .288/.355.
“Last time I faced him, he snapped my bat,” Braves third baseman Chris Johnson said. “He’s good. He’s been tough against lefties and righties, too, which is nice to have. And Bonifacio brings the speed. He can play just about any position on the diamond, so it’ll be nice to have his versatility.”
The Braves have operated with one lefty in the bullpen all season, using rookie Chasen Shreve in that role in recent weeks after sending the struggling lefty Luis Avilan to Triple-A.
They had aimed for the best available lefty reliever, Boston strikeout machine Andrew Miller. But the Braves would’ve had to give up a top-three prospect, which they weren’t willing to do for a pitcher who’d be a free agent after the season. Miller went to the Orioles in exchange for starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, ranked as one of the top 60-70 prospects in baseball.
Bonifacio has hit .408 (29-for-71) against lefties with seven doubles and two homers this season. Also, he hit .351 with runners on base and .311 with runners in scoring position. All three of those categories where the Braves needed help.
Eligible for free agency after this season, Bonifacio is a .264 career hitter with a .321 OBP, 12 homers and 152 stolen bases in eight major league seasons with six teams, and has plenty of experience and all three outfield positions and three infield spots.
Bonificio had a career-best season in 2011 for the Marlins, batting .296 with a .360 OBP and 40 stolen bases.
Russell is making $1,775,000 this season and will be eligible for arbitration again this winter. Bonifacio has a $2.5 million salary this season after making $2.6 million in 2013 when he split the season with Toronto and Kansas City.
Caratini, 20, was a second-round draft pick by the Braves in 2013 out of Miami-Dade Community College. The Puerto Rico native has been impressive, hitting .283 with a .377 OBP and an 52 extra-extra-base hits (six homers) and 67 RBIs in 145 games (611 plate appearances) over parts of two seasons in rookie ball and Single-A.
At low-A Rome this season he was batting .279 with a .352 OBP and 27 extra-base hits (four triples, five homers) in 87 games.
