PHILADELPHIA – Braves pitchers Alex Wood, Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson were already gone, headed off to join their new Dodgers team, by the time the Braves officially announced the 13-player, three-team trade at 4:52 p.m. Thursday. News had spread quickly late Wednesday of the pending deal, and most Braves had a chance to say goodbye Friday to the pitchers who were traded away.
If there was even the slightest chance of the Braves making an unexpected run at a playoff spot after trading away hitters Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe on Friday, that flicker of a chance was surely snuffed out when they traded one of their best starting pitchers and two of their key relievers to the Dodgers. The Braves also shipped top prospect Jose Peraza to the Dodgers in the deal, while acquiring 30-year-old Cuban infielder Hector Olivera, an injured left-hander reliever (Paco Rodriguez) and a minor league pitcher.
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, a franchise cornerstone and one of the few remaining Braves from just a few years ago, said the mood in the clubhouse Friday was noticeably changed in the aftermath of the big trade.
“Obviously it’s kind of down,” Freeman said before Thursday’s series opener against the Phillies. “Three of your 25 guys are gone. You battle with them every day for four months (plus) spring training, and now all of a sudden they’re gone. It obviously tough, but we’ve got to put that behind us now, got to go back out there and get back on the winning side tonight.”
One Braves player seemed surprised and disappointed that the team had gone full-bore into sell mode in the past week, noting that Toronto, in third place in the American League East and seven games out of first place, had made two huge moves this week to acquire Troy Tulowitzki and David Price.
The Braves were in third place in the National League East and eight games out of first place before Thursday, but have been in a free fall of late, batting .216 and scoring 42 runs while going 4-13 in their past 17 games, including just 10 runs total while going 1-6 in their last seven games before Thursday.
Freeman said Wood got the phone call from a Braves official while the pitcher was on the team bus headed to the ballpark from the team hotel in downtown Philadelphia. Wood said goodbye to teammates in the visitor’s clubhouse.
“They kind of knew it was going to happen, they were just waiting for it to become official with all the medical stuff (physicals) going on,” Freeman said. “But it’s definitely tough to see him go. He’s been here for a few years now, and you build those friendships, it’s tough.”
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he spoke with all three pitchers after they were officially notified and before they left Citizens Bank Park. The veteran Jim Johnson, in his first season with the Braves, has been through this stuff before and took it in stride. Wood, a former University of Georgia standout and homegrown Brave, understandably took the news a little harder.
“Wood was a little hurt,” Gonzalez said. “But after we talked with him a little bit, he and Luis seemed to be fine. I think all three of those guys will be assets to the Dodgers organization. To have a chance to go to a pennant race, it’s got to be fun.”
Asked about clubhouse morale and whether he needed to say anything to the team after the trade, Gonzalez said, “I talked to the guys about the energy. We’ve got a lot of guys in that clubhouse right now that bring good energy, good character, and I think we’re going to be OK.”
Freeman is fully cognizant that the Braves are aiming toward the future, particularly with the past couple of deals designed with next season and beyond in mind. That didn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to friends and teammates.
“It’s tough when you see one of your starters traded, and you lose Jason as a closer earlier, now we lose another closer,” he said. “And Avilan’s been a steady, tough reliever for us the last few years. It’s tough to see three of your main guys go, but it’s going to be interesting to see these guys we got.”
