Written by Derek Harvey at Bloguin
Before the trade one might have suggested Andrelton Simmons was the “Face of the Braves.” A counter-argument would be Freddie Freeman. Despite Simmons’ defensive prowess and the relative fame it afforded him, Freddie Freeman was and is the Braves best player. Now that the club is just one season away from opening a new ballpark, it seems like a good idea to give fans something to cheer about and in turn put people in seats. So with that in mind, it might not make a lot of sense for them to be unloading young controllable and reasonably cheap talent. Instead, they did trade Andrelton Simmons and now the rumor is they are “shopping” Freddie Freeman.
Trading Andrelton Simmons is easy enough to defend. The Braves are currently in something of a rebuild – they traded Jason Heyward, both Uptons, and Craig Kimbrel last year. While Simmons is an elite defender, he brings little to the plate. So the total package can fluctuate between average (2 WAR) and All-Star (4 WAR). That’s a good player, but not a great one. And certainly not irreplaceable.
Add in fact the Braves’ top prospect (1,2) is shortstop Ozhaino Albies. He might not be the defensive wizard Simmons is. but he presents a good deal more upside with his bat and speed on the bases. He’s two or three years away, which is his only downside. But the Braves don’t seem to care that much about winning now. Nor should they. Rebuilding is about getting better for tomorrow afterall.
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