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Atlanta Braves’ Trade For Former New York Yankees Top Prospect Manny Banuelos Is A Brilliant Move

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Manny Banuelos

Kim Klement – USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves have been on the move this offseason by making all sorts of acquisitions, and GM John Hart pulled off another potentially great trade by acquiring left-handed former top prospect Manny Banuelos. The details of the trade include the New York Yankees receiving two relievers in right-hander David Carpenter and lefty Chasen Shreve. What makes this move great is the potential return on the investment.

The Braves are essentially getting Banuelos for a low price by only giving away Carpenter who topped out in 2013 with a fantastic year by posting a 1.78 ERA only to follow that up with a 3.54 ERA last season. While Carpenter has a strong fastball in the range of 94-97 MPH, he has limited secondary pitches. Hitters were able to exploit that last season, as the once setup man for Craig Kimbrel was quickly replaced by the young and promising Shae Simmons.

Shreve, on the other hand, is a prospect the Braves liked, and while I originally figured Luis Avilan would be a trade target, the Braves instead decided to deal Shreve who has a nice fastball and a good slider to complement. However, with the addition of Jason Grilli as a veteran presence in the bullpen as well as appearing to hold on to Avilan, the Braves seemingly keep a righty and a lefty in these two, making the decision to trade Carpenter and Shreve a no-brainer. Not to mention James Russell, who was acquired last year, is another left-handed pitcher the Braves can use in late-game situations.

As for Banuelos, many have noted his injuries and subsequent Tommy John surgery that kept him from pitching for almost two years. Usually when a pitcher comes off of this surgery the fear is a dip in velocity and overall effectiveness will keep them from regaining what they once had. However, in Banuelos’ case, his numbers actually match what they were in 2012 from this past season.

While pitching for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders, Banuelos appeared in six games in 2012, pitching 24 innings with 22 SO (8.2 SO/9). This past season, he pitched a total of 26 games, four coming from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with 15 innings and 13 SO (7.8 SO/9). The variation between his strikeout production post-injuries is similar to what he accomplished prior to going under the knife.

As things stand right now, the Braves have only four guys they are 100 percent certain will be in their rotation with the fifth spot up for grabs. Banuelos will most likely be invited to spring training to compete for that spot and work with pitching coach Roger McDowell to see if he can recapture some of that magic that made him a top 15 MLB prospect just a few years ago.

With early comparisons in his career to Clayton Kershaw, Banuelos can give the Braves three left-handed pitchers in their starting five and possibly make their rotation the best in baseball. The good thing with Banuelos is that the rave reviews he received pre-injury were legit. His mid-90s fastball was still evident after making his first start since the surgery, and he has great secondaries which include a nasty change-up. Not to mention he’s still only 23 years old.

While the offense still needs tons of work, Hart is steadily working on improving the pitching. Adding a potential Kershaw to the roster is always a good thing, and getting him for a discount is even better.

Brandon Williams is an Atlanta Braves writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter, @BfreshAlum4UA, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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