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The Atlanta Braves have become the Philadelphia 76ers of the MLB. Since John Hart took over as President of Baseball Operations of the Braves last offseason, he has put just about every player on the trade block. He’s traded Jason Heyward, Alex Wood, Andrelton Simmons, Chris Johnson, Justin Upton, Melvin Upton Jr. and Craig Kimbrel, among others, in just over one year in charge. In fact, the only remaining everyday player since Hart took over is Freddie Freeman.
Probably the biggest trade that Hart has made in Atlanta was the one that sent Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals for Shelby Miller. After one season with the Braves, where he went 6-17 with a 3.02 ERA, 1,25 WHIP and 171 strikeouts in 205.1 innings pitched, Miller is now headed to the Arizona Diamondbacks as Hart has orchestrated yet another trade.
The Diamondbacks’ busy offseason continues as Arizona has reportedly acquired Shelby Miller from the Braves. pic.twitter.com/0y9wSv7h8I
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 9, 2015
While trading your ace isn’t always the most prudent thing to do, the haul that Hart got in return definitely made the deal worth it. Headed to Atlanta are SS Dansby Swanson, RHP Aaron Blair and OF Ender Inciarte. Swanson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft and was ranked as the Diamondbacks’ No.1 prospect at the time of the deal. Blair was the team’s No. 3 prospect after going 13-5 with a 2.92 ERA and 1.17 WHIP between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015; and Inciarte hit .303 with six home runs and 45 RBIs in a breakout season in 2015.
Add these three guys to all the young players that the Braves have received over the last year in trades, and they look to be a dangerous team two or three years down the road. While it’s always dangerous to undergo a complete rebuild of any organization, it definitely seems like the Braves are building a dynasty for the long-term.
Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
