Braves, Angels trade shortstops

That’s what the Andrelton Simmons trade Thursday night was all about.

Sean Newcomb was the centerpiece of the deal to trade Andrelton Simmons to the Angels.

Scott Mowers broke down the prospects in the trade for us this morning but I want to contribute my own thoughts. No big deal. If there’s a quibble with what the Angels did, it’s that Simmons isn’t going to help the Angels score more. 288 and. 276 the past two seasons.

Basically, this guy makes Manny Machado look like Manny from Modern Family.

And now if Simmons goes to L.A. and plays another six, eight or even 10 years, which he definitely could, there’s a good chance that he’ll be regarded more as an Angel than a fearless when folks look back and talk about the greatest shortstops who ever played. In 2013, Simmons tallied 17 home runs. Remember, a league average run producer in baseball has a wRC+ of 100. The thing is that defense tends to fail with age. There’s projection there. Still, in 2016, he’s not going to be the engine that propels the Angels toward 800 runs.

Then there’s the matter of his contract. Well, it is because they were actively trying to acquire Simmons last season, and their attempts were futile. However, if his performance craters, a team could be left holding the bag at the end of this contract. As Braves fans, depending on how old you are, you’ve been through this a plethora of times and have still come out no worse for it. BA editor-in-chief John Manuel said the publication would move Newcomb to the No. 1 spot on the Braves’ prospect list, ahead of left fielder/third baseman Hector Olivera and pitcher Lucas Sims. More than likely, he will show in the top-25. Did the Braves get more than the A’s got for three months of Scott Kazmir? So that’s pretty cool.

Chris Ellis is not as good a prospect as Newcomb but comes from the same draft class (2014). That being said, the Angels might have been able to get Simmons without giving up both their top pitching prospects. He’s a wild card, a lottery ticket, pick your metaphor.

According to Yahoo Sports, the Angels routinely rejected offers for Newcomb while former G.M. Jerry Dipoto was in charge last season. With Simmons gone, 14 players from Atlanta’s 2015 opening day roster are now gone.

Simmons, 26, is the best fielding shortstop in the game, and by a wide margin. So what motivated them to move him? The long-time market baseline for 1.0 WAR at roughly $4 million really isn’t accurate anymore; analysts place it somewhere $5 and million, meaning if Simmons maintains an average of 4.0 WAR for the life of his contract-and given his defensive prowess, staying above the Mendoza line should allow him to do that-at no point during the deal would he be considered an overpay.

The Braves dealt away one of their best players, and only got back a couple of question marks. Mike Foltynewicz, Matt Wisler, Williams Perez and Manny Banuelos have already reached Atlanta.

I’m an Atlanta Braves fan, and that’s how it always will be.

Here’s the thing, though – building through young pitching is incredibly challenging, as young pitching is still pitching, and therefore amazingly fickle. I for one eagerly anticipate each new season with the hope that this band of newcomers will exceed all expectations, but on this November 12th, I’m not so certain about the 2016 season.

Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds outfielder.

So, what does this deal do for both teams? Trout, who turned 24 on August 7, is also the youngest player to win the award four times. The Braves are rebuilding, which is something many fans have never been through in their life. You trade prospects for that every time. For someone like Simmons (under team control at a reasonable price) or a prospect making the minimum, leaking an insane ask makes very little sense. Like the (Hector) Olivera trade, this is another trade with a lot of risk based on the acquisition of unproven talent in exchange for proven talent. In other words, they cashed in their two best trade chips to address a position that didn’t need to be addressed yet. How has, for example, Simmons’ first step changed the last few years? He could be in for another heavy workload if Christian Bethancourt continues to struggle. Freddie Freeman might deliver similar value to Joey Votto, but he’s not a team in himself.