Well, Atlanta Braves general manager John Coppolella did say he wanted to acquire at least two starters this offseason. On Thursday night, the club added its third veteran starting pitcher of the young offseason, swinging a trade for St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia. Three prospects will be heading to St. Louis to complete the deal – RHP Chris Ellis, RHP John Gant, and IF Luke Dykstra.
Prior to adding Garcia, the Braves had already picked up Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey on one-year deals.
Garcia burst onto the scene back in 2010 with an excellent rookie season. He went 13-8 with a 2.70 earned run average in 163 and a third innings over 28 starts, finishing third in rookie of the year voting. The Mexican-born hurler followed that up with an arguably more impressive showing in 2011, making 32 starts, decreasing his walk rate significantly (from 3.53 BB/9 in 2010 to 2.31 in 2011), and helping lead the Cardinals to a World Series championship.
Unfortunately, injuries soon stifled his promising career. He made 20 starts in 2012 and pitched reasonably well but was eventually shut down for the season due to ongoing shoulder issues. Those health problems would persist, hampering his production for the next few seasons. Between 2013 and 2014, he made a combined 16 major league appearances while undergoing a pair of shoulder surgeries.
In 2015, at age 28, he made a triumphant return to form. Though he would still miss time with injury (a groin strain this time), the southpaw went 10-6 with a 2.43 earned run average over 129 2/3 innings. In 2016, he reached the 30 start plateau for the second time in his career but was also hit harder than in any previous season (4.67 earned run average, 1.4 HR/9).
Meanwhile, Gant (acquired from the New York Mets in the Kelly Johnson/Juan Uribe deal), Ellis (acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in the Andrelton Simmons deal), and Dykstra (yes, one of Lenny’s kids) were all among Atlanta’s top 30 prospects but none are considered particularly elite.
Trading for Garcia fits with Atlanta’s game plan. They have a bevy of young arms waiting at the minor league level. Bringing in veterans on one-year commitments allows for the team to lessen the burden on the farm while making sure not to block any of their promising young hurlers.
While it will hinge on Garcia’s health/performance, Atlanta could end up getting something in return for him. One option that the team has used repeatedly is flipping veteran players midseason, that’s a definitely possibility here. The other option is, if he pitches well, to extend Garcia a qualifying offer. Under the brand new QO system, if a player rejects the QO and signs elsewhere, his original team is entitled to draft pick compensation, usually a sandwich pick. However, if that team is in the bottom half of the league in terms of market size (Atlanta is 16th), receives revenue-sharing money (unsure about this one with the new stadium but ATL does still have a terrible TV deal), AND the free agent signs a contract over $50 million (which Garcia could very well do with a strong and healthy season), then that pick becomes a first rounder.
Regardless, Atlanta has brought aboard another veteran arm with some question marks but a history of success. Though he cost a bit more than Dickey or Colon when you factor in the prospects, he didn’t require the Braves to part with any of their higher-end farmhands.
Though nothing is impossible, Atlanta’s sudden glut of serviceable big league arms may have taken them out of the running in the Chris Sale sweepstakes.
Scott Ferris covers the Braves as a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottHFerris
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