The Braves have acquired infielder Nicky Lopez from the Royals in a one-for-one swap that will send left-hander Taylor Hearn to Kansas City. The Braves have officially announced the deal, and MLB.com’s Anne Rogers was the first to report that Lopez was on his way to Atlanta.
Like most Royals players this season, Lopez has had an underwhelming year with the bat, hitting .210/.322/.280 over 187 plate appearances. Lopez’s hitting has never been as much of a calling card as his defense, and he has delivered his usual above-average glovework backing up the infield at second base, third base, and shortstop.
He’ll bring that same versatile depth to the Braves, though Lopez’s playing time figures to be at a premium since Atlanta generally keeps its starters (including the infield core of Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, and Austin Riley) in the lineup at all times, even to the point of usually foregoing late-game defensive substitutions. Still, with a big lead in the NL West, the Braves might look to give their regulars some extra rest going into the postseason, and Lopez at least provides some experienced depth if case an injury situation does arise.
Now in his fifth MLB season, Lopez has largely been a glove-first player who has seemed like a bit of a placeholder as Kansas City waited for its next wave of prospects (such as Bobby Witt Jr.) to reach the Show. However, Lopez worked his way into a larger share of playing time, particularly after his quietly outstanding 2021 campaign. Lopez had the 11th-best fWAR (6.0) of any player in baseball that season, pairing spectacular defense and baserunning with an above-average .300/.365/.378 slash line over 565 plate appearances.
In hindsight, the Royals perhaps might have looked at selling high on Lopez in the wake of that big season, though it’s understandable why K.C. would’ve also wanted to hang onto a possible hidden gem of a breakout player. Moving the 28-year-old now officially turns the page on Lopez’s era in Kansas City, even though he was still under team control through the 2025 campaign. It’s not a bad pickup for the Braves to land a depth option who can help now and potentially in future years, though Lopez will be due a raise on his $3.7MM salary this winter, and might be a non-tender candidate if Atlanta wants to trim its list of arbitration-eligibles.
Hearn finds himself on the move for the second time in less than a week, as the Braves just picked up the southpaw on July 24 in another trade that sent cash considerations to the Rangers. Given that Texas had designated Hearn for assignment prior to working out the deal with Atlanta, it is a little curious that the Royals are surrendering Lopez to acquire him now rather than acquiring him at a lower cost shortly after his first DFA. It’s possible this could be a precursor to another move. Hearn’s ability to work as a reliever or a starter could allow him to fill several holes in Kansas City’s pitching staff should the Royals be on the verge of dealing from their rotation or bullpen before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Austin Cox is the only other left-hander in the Royals’ bullpen, so Hearn also fits a more immediate need.
Hearn’s tenure in Atlanta ends after a single ignominious appearance, as he allowed four runs in one-third of an inning in Saturday’s 11-5 win over the Brewers. That gives him a 14.73 ERA in 7 1/3 total innings in 2023 with the Braves and Rangers, though Hearn’s 3.66 ERA in 39 1/3 innings for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate is far more palatable.
Prior to Saturday, all of Hearn’s previous MLB experience had come with Texas, as he posted a 4.95 ERA over 222 innings from 2019-22 while starting 25 of his 88 games. The lefty’s numbers as a reliever have been much better than his work out of the rotation, so a long relief role might be Hearn’s best option for the future. Hearn doesn’t miss many bats (21.6% career strikeout rate), nor has he been great at limiting free passes, with a 10.5% walk rate over his time in the big leagues.
Why?
Because, it’s a Royal thing. Non Royals just don’t get it.
I think the Braves did it because Lopez appears to be a proficient fielder at 3 infield positions. And I think the Royals did it to save a few bucks.
4. He played 1B in todays game.
Royals ha to have done it to save money. Lopez is making 3x’s as much. Lopez just a few yrs ago batted .300. I don’t imagine that type of resurgence especially in a bench role. But I’d assume his #s will benefit from the lineup protection in ATL.
Royals save $. Braves get a cheap mlb utility player without having to give up anything.
My sentiments exactly
I don’t know who Hearn is but this is still exciting!!!
I hearn he is pretty good
If you are talking about Hearn after see his line from yesterday do you still think he is pretty good ? Glad to see they didn’t take another chance with him.
IP H R ER BB K HR
0.1 2 4 4 2 0 1
Hearn pitched last night for the Braves and gave up 3 runs
Correction that was 4 runs in a third of an inning geez. It will be funny when he gets a world series ring with a 108.0 ERA with the Braves.
They claimed him off Waviers last week and think he’s been a Royal before.
Nats to pirates in Melancon Lopez trade. Texas in Kela trade. Texas to Braves.
Interesting arm at one point. Obviously no team feels that way now.
Taylor Hearn has never been a royal. He’s always been a brave.
Oops I goofed up he was with the Texas Rangers before . I didn’t know he had been a claim off waivers by the brave’s.
Couldn’t the Royals have just claimed/traded for Hearn the first time around?
I had the same initial thought. Such a weird move.
Second that.
Yes, but they have an incompetent FO.
May be an advance move to add depth before they trade Vahn Grissom.
Yes I was thinking the same thing depth allowing them to move Grissom and then bd okay if the big club has an infield injury.
Grissom isn’t a good option as a back up SS. He can hit big league pitching for sure. I am not sure why the Braves have not experimented with him playing some 2nd and LF in the minors while he is down there. HIs SS fielding % in 3A is not that great.
Grissom is only an emergency shortstop & the team really does not have a backup plan at shortstop if Arcia got hurt, which is why he absolutely must play every day. The team needed to make this trade under any scenario. They picked up an excellent bench player for nothing, less than nothing. They just bought low on yet another starting quality shortstop.
So, Taylor Hearn was with the Braves just long enough to get bombed with a 108.00 ERA and a 60.29 FIP. Impressive numbers!
Now Lopez gets to take Charlie Culberson’s place on the bench. I hope he has decent cheerleading skills as he will watch the Braves hit a LOT more homers than the Royals. I understand that the Braves want a better option as a utility infielder while Shewmake and Grissom continue to play everyday in AAA, but the fact that Lopez makes a lot more money than Arcia gives me doubt about his long term future with the Braves.
Maybe he takes wall’s spot
They got him for free. He will either sign a contract or get dfa!
True for next year. But for this year, Braves have to pay him and he might help a good team in the playoffs – as a defensive replacement at every position but catcher, one of the best bunters in baseball, and a decent base stealer. And a good guy. I hope he wins World Series with a 65 mile per hour soft liner to left field. He is an awful hitter, but occasionally takes a walk..
If you could combine Shewmake defense with Grissom hitting that would be a heck of a player at SS. Lopez will give Braves a true backup infielder that you can really trust to play. In August we play 14 games in 13 days with a double header set with Mets on 12.. So from 4th to 16th we play every day with only 3 home games we will need a back up to play some. I wouldn’t be surprise to see us try to add a 2nd backup infielder maybe drop Forrest Wall since he has only been used for running a few times. Pillar plays all 3 outfield positions.
I’m surprised the Royals actually got a player for Nicky Lopez instead of the usual cash considerations
They essentially got cash. Lopez is making 3x’s as much, so the Royals are saving some $ here. Nothing of significance.
Hearn’s numbers are not really that great so about the same as just getting cash
The “Royals” just got fleeced.
Perhaps
Not that I expected a huge haul for Nicky, but if we were going to get a reliever with crappy numbers could we at least get a young reliever with crappy numbers?
Love Nicky and I hope he wins a ring in Atlanta!
Agreed. If Royals are trading someone, they need someone back that will help in the future, not the now. Don’t they understand how the trade deadline is supposed to work for sellers?
I’m not entirely convinced this guy helps now OR in the future.
Will help them secure the best draft odds not that they needed more help.
We have him in AAA, could’ve included him in the trade if you had thrown in Acuna.
Royals got fleeced.
When I looked this guy up, and I saw That his ERA was 14. I definitely thought we got fleeced.
My first thought was who was hurt on the Braves.
Dumb move by a desperate front office. Royals could’ve traded Lopez almost anytime over the past three years and got back more than a waiver wire claim
As a Braves fan also tells me that the Braves are working the phones so something bigger could be on the horizon. I feel like we need one more bull pen arm.
Everyone does and there aren’t any good ones to be had! The good ones aren’t getting traded.
Good bullpen arms are dealt every season.
@smacky
Do you mean only elite closers?
Because six+ good relievers have been traded just this week alone.
Stratton, Hicks,Joe kelly, Graveman, Robertson, Lopez, all just traded.
Sewald, Gallegos, Kelseyville, Bednar, Finnegan potentially available.
Plenty to be had.
Yeah, this is a real shrug of a move. I wouldn’t have expected too much for him, but this? Either way – have fun with a team that knows what they’re doing, Nicky.
If they wanted him they would have gave up a 18 year old reliever. The alpha Braves dominated KC betas.
I was on board saying the braves could use a utility infielder to spell some of the guys during the stretch run. I know he isn’t a great hitter. But he will be valuable as a late game defensive replacement and pinch runner. Not a great move, not a bad move either. I like it. And maybe this sets up a trade with the giants and the braves because they have been on note having interest in both Lopez and grissom, so maybe we get a pitcher that we need and the giants get the infielder they need. Either way I like the move and this might set up something bigger for the braves.
Not a great hitter but almost as good a great walker.
Puzzling trade but in AA I trust!
I will solve it. Above average utility infielder for free. Don’t know why teams just give AA players.
Same reason young stars sign 10 year deals with 4 club options for below market prices ….. he has naked pictures of their mom.
“Still, with a big lead in the NL West, the Braves might look to give their regulars some extra rest going into the postseason”
Wow, the Braves are leading the NL East *AND* NL West? They’re even better than I thought!
The trade was Lopez and a division to be named later…. Guess they got the West…..
The author must be time-tripping. Braves were in the NL “West” until 1994.
Yeah I still think of them in the west
Junk return for the Royals, for a guy who can be good defensively and hopefully Braves fix his swing as they did with Grossman.
Kind of a non-move for me. Lopez sucks but so does Hearn and I’d rather have a good defensive backup instead of a guy who will never amount to anything in the bigs. Definitely not exciting though.
He is a good defensive backup. Elite defender and has a 6 WAR season under his belt. Could fix his swing and have a steal.
Should be noted that B-Ref only has that season as a 4.1 WAR season. Still, your point stands as Hearn has very little upside.
The Brewers certainly hit him big upside the head yesterday.
Lopez is good. Every team should have a Lopez. Braves could make him even better. This trade is a big meaningful trade. Not as much as the Santana trade was which was mega huge because he is a starter but a injury or two and yeah.
Braves really said “Yeah nevermind”
The Braves have a big lead in the NL West? I think the Dodgers might dispute that claim. This isn’t 1983 when Atlanta WAS in the West division.
Oh man, I was hoping AA would sign Adeiny Hechavarria for the 4th time instead. He loves the Nicky Lopez type of defensive first back up shortshop.
We have him in AAA. You could’ve got him in this trade if you had thrown in Acuna!
The Braves need more than “a” Bullpen arm, they need to replace 3-4 to be real. That’s 3-4 pitching arms, not 2 per player. I don’t know why they have been mainly picking up released pitchers that need to stay on waiver wire. They need to trade some of their players at the minor league level and acquire some PROVEN Relievers! I mean they held on to Pache and Waters so long, I thought they would have GrandChildren before they were ever traded! Most of time spent in Minors were teams just manipulating their service time until they ultimately run out of options! But
now MLB recently cracked down on the total number of options teams had to manipulate service years. SHORT VERSION, IF THEY ARE NOT ON THE CURRENT MLB TEAM ROSTER, TRADE THEM! NEED PITCHING!
They’re about to get Fried and Minter back this week, Lee could be back not long after that. Chavez and Wright could be back by early September. Johnson is going to end up being a good pick up. This move also gives us the flexibility to trade Grissom who’s bat plays at the Major League level, but is kind of positionless and blocked at every position he could conceivably play with the Braves anyway. They don’t need a complete overhaul of the bullpen, they need to get healthy. And it certainly looks like they’re about to.
Some people on here just aren’t good at reality. What 3-4 real pitchers are out there to be had? I don’t get how people don’t grasp that you can’t trade for something that either doesn’t exist, or isn’t available.
Braves farm is not as deep as it once was. Gotta have the chips to play at the table. Waiver claims require no trade chips.
Braves are a smart team. Smart teams don’t make the trades that have been made so far. They will sit back and let the other teams deplete their farms and fill their needs and then the Braves will pick up what’s left much cheaper. You get your playoff starters and closers before the deadline, before the season starts.
How about them NL West Braves though!?!?
What the actual F
So let’s get Culberson off the MLB roster now
Don’t you mean AL West
Braves get away with a other one again.
AA will sweep in with 15 seconds before deadline to get Josh Hader or Blake Snell or BOTH!
Lopez always felt like a fit for the Braves to me. I don’t know why. This could be an under the radar move that pays out big time.
Taylor Hearn’s Braves career will end with a FIP of 60.00
Tbh he’s got a live arm, You can tell there’s something there.
I think Lopez is gonna replace Forrest Wall as our resident pinch runner.
Yes, and after dredging the Atlantic bottom for the Titan Submersible, you could tell something was there.
Be careful on Lopez as runner. He is smart, but not real fast.
Omg they need a GM/PBO who’s not hired from within. This is the most royals move of all time. Trade a player that would have had a decent few suitors as a utility infielder for a 28 year old reliever who hasn’t even played well in Triple A. They still run this team like it’s 2006 and it shows. This team was supposed to be competitive right now but legitimately every prospect has either been a massive bust or is underperforming. At least the A’s are trying to suck. The Royals wanted to be competitive by now.
Royals GM is desperate to be competitive by 2025. Lopez was replaceable by multiple guys already on Royals. Royals hope Hearn somehow becomes a lefty relief pitcher with value.
Question: When did the Braves become a part of the NL West? I know they were in the West division a long time ago.
Is it true the Royals could have picked up Hearn on a waiver claim a week ago? If so, they are incredibly stupid in making this trade, because it simply cannot be explained to Royals fans.
Might have had to trade a weak prospect. Can’t remember of Braves claimed him or traded cash for him. Feel like it was cash trade.
Hearns was acquired by the Braves for “cash considerations” Dream. You’re right.
I suppose so, but then who would they have gotten rid of then? You have to have space on your 40 man to pick up somebody off waivers.
Royals will not be able to explain this to fans. Interested to hear what Rany has to say. Must be a logical explanation at some level. Explanation probably is that JJ is desperate to contend by 2025, so he was looking only for guys who might make a contribution in 2024 and 2025. Lopez had almost no value to Royals because they have Taylor and others to fill his role (or better) and would have non-tendered him this off season. Only question is whether they could have got more for him — don’t like not waiting until deadline to get bet offer for him.
The Royals may have done this as a sort of a Thank You to Nicky for not causing problems when they constantly brought in younger players to take his playing time away when he was clearly better than them (and that includes Witt, Jr.). The man never seemed to be able to get in a rhythm.
Hopefully the Braves exceptional coaches will be able to help him with his hitting some, and he’ll be able to get into a World Series. If they move him along I hope he gets with a team that allows him to play full-time. He’s a smart player and a team player. He’s about helping the team win, not running up his stats.
Yep
Problem is Lopez can’t hit. Would be amazed if it is coaching issue.. He had no value to Royals. They have Taylor and others who are as good or better and cost about $3 million less.
Cool, a defensive replacement for a terrible reliever!
A plus plus plus … for Atlanta. Can I get a thumbs up from Nashville Jeff Bridges? Gave up a guy nobody really wanted and got a above average mlb infield utility player.
KC just a salary dump. Hearn used to have talent. Not sure anyone can get it from him now and KC wouldn’t be at the top middle or top 25 of my list of teams to do it. Hope ATL was the only interested team.
Added bonus for the Royals is they can save money on uniforms by pulling the “O'” off of the left over Ryan O’Hearn jerseys
Except he wasn’t assigned 66. I checked, and it looks like he has been assigned number 54. Good idea though. They could have given Samad Taylor the number two, but they gave him the number 0 (Michael A Taylor wore the number 2 last year for us)
To be fair, Michael Taylor is listed as 6’4, 215 while Samad is 5’8 160. That Jersey would be a dress on Samad. Hearn and O’Hearn are at least closer in size
I was only referring to the number, not the literal jersey. Which means if they were still selling a number two jersey with the name Taylor on it in the Team store you could wear it for samad Taylor if he was number two, do you see what I mean?
braves needs a couple of backup relievers. 8th inning setup and 2nd closer.
Thats how the playoffs needs are, just don’t do the Heathcliff slocum for Jason veritech and Derek Lowe trade type.
Lopez has hit .223/.293/.275 with zero homers in 667 PA since the start of 2022, yet amazingly has a positive (0.6) offensive WAR. Either he’s one hell of a baserunner, or there’s a “Royals hitters are supposed to suck” factor built into bWAR…
He somehow is WAR friendly.
Given that Charlie Culberson has been on the Braves roster for what, 60 days? And has only received 1 AB it’s probably a safe guess who the odd man out will be
Culberson is probably a minor league manager/coach in training.
Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he got flipped in another trade tonight or in the morning.
Nicky is a great player, sad to see him go. Dude will coach one day. Royals should’ve kept him or got more. A leader and bridge between generations.
Well that was quick
This stinks of Dayton Moore. The Rangers send a guy to the Braves who send him to the Royals…