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Braves, Omar Infante Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran infielder Omar Infante, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Infante was released by the Royals after being designated for assignment earlier this month.

Infante inked a four-year, $30.25MM contract with Kansas City prior to the 2014 season and on the heels of a solid run with the Marlins and Tigers from 2011-13. Infante slashed .288/.318/.414 in the three years leading up to his free agency and also contributed solid defense at second base, prompting the Royals to offer a substantial contract. However, in parts of three seasons with Kansas City, Infante batted a woeful .238/.269/.328 in 1179 plate appearances.

This will mark Infante’s second tenure with Atlanta. He spent 2008-10 seasons with the Braves after being traded from the Cubs (for whom he never actually played a game). Infante enjoyed a successful run with the Braves and even flirted with a batting title in 2010 before he was traded to Miami in the Dan Uggla deal and then back to Detroit in the Anibal Sanchez swap. In parts of 15 big league seasons, the 34-year-old Infante is a .271/.308/.387 hitter.

NL East Notes: Teheran, Mets, Dietrich, Phillies

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The Julio Teheran trade rumors have been swirling for more than a month, but Braves GM John Coppolella recently made strong suggestions that his ace would be staying put, and Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports now writes that he spoke to a Braves official who emphatically told him, “We are not trading Teheran.” A second Braves official offered similar sentiments, saying that the Braves are “99.9 percent” certain they’ll hang onto Teheran. While a staggering offer can always change an organization’s thinking, it’s sounding more and more like a Teheran trade is more wishful thinking for interested parties than anything else.

More from the NL East…

  • The Mets’ struggles to score runs are becoming increasingly problematic, but as Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes, remedying the situation will be more difficult than it was in 2015. For one, the team isn’t likely to add a Yoenis Cespedes-caliber talent on the trade market this year (especially not after depleting its farm). Moreover, the Mets actually are receiving league-average or better production from nearly every spot on the diamond (with the exception of catcher), but the team is woefully underperforming with runners in scoring position. As such, Davidoff suggests that if the Mets are going to right the ship and get back into the race for the NL East title, the majority of the improvements are going to have come from options that are already in house.
  • Marlins infielder Derek Dietrich will continue to get at-bats even when Dee Gordon returns from his suspension at the end of July, president of baseball operations Michael Hill tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Hill explains that the Marlins have always thought Dietrich could blossom into an everyday player “because of his offensive potential, his knowledge of the strike zone, his ability to get on base.” The problem, in the past, has been finding a defensive home for Dietrich. Miami has tried him at second base, third base and in left field over the past couple of seasons. Dietrich could make sense to be deployed in a utility capacity over the season’s final months, and while this is my speculation rather than Hill’s suggestion, the team will have an opening at third base next season in the event that free-agent-to-be Martin Prado doesn’t re-sign with Miami. Dietrich is hitting .306/.394/.447 with a career-low 17.8 percent strikeout rate this season.
  • Right-hander Edubray Ramos, who was recently promoted to the Majors by the Phillies, has the makings of a future closer, manager Pete Mackanin tells Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gelb writes that at last October’s organizational meetings, the need to protect Ramos from the Rule 5 Draft was raised by a number of officials, and the decision to do so was agreed upon quickly. Ramos didn’t make the club out of Spring Training, but he posted a 2.40 ERA through his first 15 innings at Double-A before turning in a ridiculous 0.38 ERA with a 26-to-3 K/BB ratio in 23 2/3 Triple-A innings prior to his promotion. Gelb writes that if Jeanmar Gomez is traded to a contender sometime next month, it’s not out of the question that the 23-year-old Ramos could be closing games for the Phils in September.

International Notes: July 2 Preview, Maitan, Braves, Padres

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Baseball America’s Ben Badler has compiled scouting reports on the Top 50 prospects on the upcoming July 2 international market, in addition to providing projected landing spots for each player on the list. The exhaustive report on the international scene requires a BA subscription, but it’s highly recommended for those who wish to dive headfirst into learning about the upcoming glut of talent that will be injected into most clubs’ minor league pipelines. Those looking to learn more about the process can also check out this primer from Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, who also provides a ranking of the class (with further explanation here).

Here are just a few highlights from Badler’s excellent work on the topic, which deserves a full read:

  • Badler takes a particularly close look at top prospect Kevin Maitan, who he says may be a better prospect than Miguel Sano was as a teenager. The link comes with a lengthy and detailed scouting report, including discussion of the question whether Maitain will be able to stay at shortstop for the long run. Scouts are divided on the likelihood, but all seem to agree it’s at least a plausible outcome.
  • Maitan has long been said to be heading for the Braves, and we’ve yet to hear anything to change that expectation. Atlanta has lined up a big batch of spending, but Badler provides a bit of context for just how large: he says it “should look comparable to what the Yankees did in 2014-15.” (You can refresh yourself on New York’s shock and awe campaign here.)
  • The Padres appear headed in that direction, too, as Badler says that a $30MM to $35MM spend might be their floor. In addition to big activity on the Cuban market, San Diego is in line to add eight of the top fifty available players. As for the Nationals, who are also believed to be pacing the market in spending, it might not be quite that dramatic. But Washington could still come away with three of the fifteen best prospecs on the market.
  •  The Astros, too, seem ready to drop some big cash — including a $3.5MM bonus for Cuban shortstop Anibal Sierra. Houston is eyeing five of the top fifty names on Badler’s list, he notes. One player that could be ticketed for the ’Stros is fifth overall prospect Freudis Nova.
  • Nova had been connected to the Marlins before failing a PED test. Now, Badler explains, Miami has a big chunk of pool availability and little in the way of commitments. The club could deal that away or see if it can find a nice price on the Cuban market.
  • It also remains to be seen what the Reds will do, but Badler explains that things could go in either of two directions. Cinci could trade for some added bonus pool space to add Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez and a few smaller signings without hitting the penalty. Or, the team could enter the broader Cuban market and blow past its limits.
  • The White Sox are expected to land slugging prospect Josue Guerrero — who, yes, is a part of the famous family. Despite being quiet in recent years, the Athletics are in position to add some talent, including George Bell, whose father (same name) was a quality big leaguer.
  • The Brewers aren’t believed to have any seven-figure bonuses lined up, but could still add a high number of interesting players with the fifth-highest spending availability in the game. Likewise, the Phillies are expected to spread their cash.
  • Of course, not every team will have the opportunity to spend lavishly this period; the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs, D-backs, Angels, Rays, Red Sox, Giants, Royals and Blue Jays are each prohibited from spending more than $300K on international amateurs after incurring maximum penalties, though that doesn’t mean those organizations don’t have a chance to find some talent.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Giolito, Turner, Norris

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Phillies prospect Matt Imhof suffered a serious eye injury while working with a stretching band, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports. The 22-year-old righty, who was a second-round pick in 2014, is said to have been struck in the eye due to a malfunction in the piece of equipment he was using. He has already undergone one procedure and is expected to require more, per the report. MLBTR wishes Matt the best of luck for a speedy recovery.

Here’s more from the NL East:

  • A rain delay has slowed the Nationals’ first look at top prospect Lucas Giolito tonight, as their contest against the division-rival Mets is currently on hold after four innings. Earlier today, GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, including MLB.com’s Jamal Collier (via Twitter), that the much-hyped hurler will have a chance to earn a permanent spot at the big league level. Rizzo, though, was not willing to commit to anything beyond that. Arguably the best prospect in baseball, Giolito has worked four scoreless innings and allowed just one hit and a pair of walks. He’ll cede the remainder of the game to Yusmeiro Petit, but the Nationals have to be rather pleased with Giolito’s truncated debut.
  • Another top Nationals prospect, Trea Turner, is getting a look in center field in an effort to accelerate his path to the Majors, as MLB.com’s Alex Putterman writes. Turner got his first pro start in center field last night and started there once again tonight. “We feel that offensively he’s Major League ready,” said Rizzo of Turner. However, Danny Espinosa’s June surge and Daniel Murphy’s excellent season leave the Nats without a spot for Turner at the big league level. “We figured to get him in the big leagues sooner rather than later, we need to make him more versatile,” Rizzo added.
  • Bud Norris’ most recent start has continued to bolster trade interest in the Braves’ right-hander, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Norris fired seven shutout innings and held the Mets to four hits and no walks with eight strikeouts over the weekend, and he’s now sporting a pristine 2.08 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 53.7 percent ground-ball rate dating back to the beginning of May, when he initially lost his rotation spot. Norris has been stellar since being plugged back into the starting five, and the Marlins are reportedly among the teams with interest in the 31-year-old.
  • Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan examines Norris’ remarkable turnaround since rejoining the Braves’ rotation and attributes the success to the fact that Norris has abandoned his previously ineffective changeup in favor of a cutter that has generated tremendous results. Left-handers were never especially troubled by Norris’ change, but they’ve been absolutely stymied by his new cut fastball, which has also caused a significant spike in his ground-ball percentage. There’s probably some degree of regression in store — Norris has a .269 BABIP and hasn’t allowed a single homer since returning to the rotation — but the new pitch has had a profound impact on Norris and could be the start of a sustainable run of success.

Braves Designate Alexi Ogando For Assignment

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The Braves have designated right-hander Alexi Ogando for assignment and recalled right-hander Mauricio Cabrera from Double-A Mississippi, the team announced this afternoon.

Ogando, 32, currently has a respectable 3.94 ERA through 32 innings of work out of the Atlanta bullpen, but he’s registered that mark in spite of averaging a whopping 6.5 walks per nine innings. He’s been particularly ineffective over his past 10 outings, yielding nine runs (seven earned) on seven hits and nine walks across just seven innings. The 8.2 K/9 rate he’s posted this season is his best since 2012, and he’s still averaging 94 mph on his fastball, but ERA estimators such as FIP (4.38), xFIP (5.45) and SIERA (5.13) all feel that there’s some significant regression in store for the former Rangers and Red Sox hurler.

Ogando has been the subject of some trade chatter over the past month, so perhaps Atlanta will be able to find a taker for him. However, if the team ultimately outrights him, Ogando has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency without forfeiting the remainder of his $2MM salary. He’s still owed about $1.06MM of that sum through season’s end, and the Braves will be on the hook for the majority of that unless they can find a trade partner. If he does become a free agent and latch on with another Major League club, he’ll earn the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on a new team’s Major League roster, and that money will be subtracted from the sum still owed to him by Atlanta. In parts of seven big league seasons, Ogando has a career 3.47 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 38.8 percent ground-ball rate across 503 1/3 innings.

As for Cabrera, the 22-year-old will be making his Major League debut when he first takes the hill. He’s worked to a 3.21 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings at Double-A this season, though he’s endured similar control problems to the ones displayed by Ogando in the Majors; Cabrera has walked 22 batters (two intentional) and hit three men during that brief stint at Double-A. Both Baseball America and MLB.com rated Cabrera 27th in a very deep Braves farm system. The Dominican-born flamethrower averages 100 mph on his heater and has topped out at 103 mph, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, though he struggles to command the pitch. Cabrera also features a ridiculous-sounding 92 mph changeup, though BA notes that it needs work. The two scouting reports are split on whether his change or his slider is Cabrera’s best secondary offering, indicating that he’s not especially consistent with either pitch.

NL Notes: Braves, Mets, Rockies

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The recent success of Braves right-hander Bud Norris could make him an attractive option to playoff contenders as the Aug. 1 trade deadline nears, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Norris dominated the Mets on Sunday over seven innings, surrendering just four hits while striking out eight. The 31-year-old lowered his ERA to 4.22 along the way and improved his strikeout and walk rates to 7.68 and 3.58, respectively, per nine innings. After a nightmarish April and a May spent in the bullpen, Norris has made six starts this month, allowing seven earned runs and collecting 29 strikeouts against eight walks over 29 1/3 innings. Norris is playing on an affordable salary ($2.5MM) this year and will be a free agent at season’s end. FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reported earlier this week that multiple teams, including the NL East rival Marlins, are interested in Norris.

More from the National League:

  • Infielder Jose Reyes might be more than a 2016 stopgap for the Mets, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. The contract Reyes, 33, inked with the Mets on Saturday also includes a team option at a league-minimum cost for 2017, according to Rubin. It’s worth noting that, thanks to third baseman David Wright’s injury troubles and second baseman Neil Walker’s status as a pending free agent, multiple positions in New York’s infield are unsettled beyond this season.
  • Rockies right-hander Eddie Butler has worked out of the rotation and bullpen this year, struggling in both roles, but the club isn’t bailing on his chances to serve as a long-term starting option. “For Eddie, his stuff is plus. You don’t want to give up on that,” manager Walt Weiss told Ben Weinrib of MLB.com. “We’ve seen him good as a starter. We’re not there yet where we’re going to give up on him as a starter.” A former high-end prospect, the 25-year-old Butler has racked up 42 1/3 innings as a starter this season and compiled a 6.54 ERA, 5.91 K/9 and 2.53 BB/9. Those numbers have contributed to his unimpressive career totals from the rotation (138 innings, 6.20 ERA, 4.89 K/9 and 3.98 BB/9).
  • The Rockies’ best current pitching prospect is righty Jeff Hoffman, whom they acquired from Toronto in the Troy Tulowitzki deal last year. Hoffman is faring well with Triple-A Alburquerque of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post details, but general manager Jeff Bridich told Groke that the Rockies aren’t going to rush the onetime Tommy John surgery recipient to the majors. For now, the 23-year-old Hoffman will continue sharpening his arsenal in Albuquerque. “He’s had all four pitches available to him and he’s using them,” Triple-A pitching coach Darryl Scott said. “He’s starting to recognize hitters. He’s coming into games now with a scouting report he put together, for a plan of attack. Not very many young pitchers take that step so early.”

East Notes: Sox, Buchholz, Braves, Teheran, Phillies

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In his latest rough outing, Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and five walks Sunday in a 6-2 loss to the Rangers. Afterward, manager John Farrell was noncommittal about Buchholz making his next start, per Scott Lauber of ESPN.com, though he conceded that the team might not have a better option. As their depth chart shows, Triple-A possibilities include Roenis Elias, Henry Owens and Joe Kelly, though each has fared terribly in the majors this year. Buchholz, who has spent some time in the bullpen this season, has logged a 5.90 ERA, 6.13 K/9, 4.24 BB/9 and 41.2 percent ground-ball rate through 76 1/3 innings. Those numbers are all markedly worse than the 31-year-old’s career totals and especially the terrific production he put up in 2015.

More from Boston and a couple NL East cities:

  • The Red Sox are scanning the trade market for help, but there are only five teams that have declared themselves sellers thus far as the Aug. 1 deadline nears, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sunday. “It’s still a little early,” stated Dombrowski, who added that the Red Sox are “scuffling for positional players at this point.” (Twitter links via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald). Injuries have sapped the Sox of depth in left field, where Brock Holt, Blake Swihart and Chris Young are all on the disabled list.
  • Red-hot Braves starter Julio Teheran has drawn interest from starter-needy Boston, but Atlanta might be better off retaining the 25-year-old than trading him, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution argues. O’Brien points to Teheran’s age, ultra-palatable contract and the lack of quality starters set to hit free agency during the upcoming offseason as reasons for the rebuilding Braves to go forth with the right-hander, who has thrown 23 straight innings without allowing a run and has lowered his ERA to a stingy 2.46 through 106 frames. Teheran has also recorded career-best strikeout and walk rates per nine innings (8.41 and 2.04, respectively) to this point. ERA estimators like FIP (3.68), xFIP (4.00) and SIERA (3.72) aren’t quite buying his results, but Teheran has consistently outperformed those figures throughout his career.
  • Phillies manager Pete Mackanin admitted Saturday that he’s in a bind with his team’s catchers, Carlos Ruiz and Cameron Rupp. “That’s the hard part of about this job. You have to give up something to get something, and right now we need offense. At least right now, Cam offers more offense,” Mackanin told Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “However, is it more important to guide the young pitcher and bring him along with some veteran experience?” With his .270/.306/.483 batting line and seven home runs in 183 plate appearances, the 27-year-old Rupp has been a bright spot in a toothless Phillies offense, though his 48:6 K:BB ratio doesn’t bode well going forward. However, while Mackanin’s worried about Rupp’s ability (or lack thereof) to aid his pitching staff, the backstop has graded well in the pitch-framing department this year. That’s not true of the 37-year-old Ruiz, who has also contributed to Philly’s offensive woes with a .219/.311/.333 line in 119 trips to the plate. Nevertheless, Mackanin is bullish on Ruiz’s game-calling abilities, notes Gelb.
  • Mackanin had center fielder Odubel Herrera shag fly balls in right field prior to the Phillies’ game Saturday, but that doesn’t mean a position change is coming. “If he reads something into it, good,” said Mackanin (via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). “Maybe he’ll think that he needs to do better. There’s nothing imminent. There’s no plans for me to move him out of there.” Notably, Herrera ranks last among qualified center fielders this year in Defensive Runs Saved (minus-7) and also grades poorly in Ultimate Zone Rating, but he has combated his fielding woes with a stellar .299/.392/.427 offensive showing and eight home runs through 319 PAs, also adding 41 walks against 58 strikeouts.

Braves Sign No. 3 Overall Pick Ian Anderson

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SATURDAY, 8:00pm: The signing is official, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

3:33pm: The Braves have announced that they’ve agreed to terms with Anderson. Heyman tweets that Anderson will receive exactly $4MM.

MONDAY: The Braves and No. 3 overall draft pick Ian Anderson are finalizing a deal that’ll pay the high school right-hander about $4MM, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (links to Twitter). Heyman adds that Anderson will not officially sign until he has graduated. That bonus represents a savings of about $2.5MM on his slot value of $6,510,800 (via MLB.com’s Jim Callis) — money that will help the Braves afford later picks such as Joey Wentz, Kyle Muller and Drew Harrington — each of whom has already reportedly agreed to an over-slot deal.

Anderson, who just turned 18 last month, was rated most highly entering the draft by ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 7 overall), but Baseball America (No. 12) and MLB.com (No. 13) each had him as a top-half-of-the-first-round talent as well. Shortly before the draft, rumors surfaced indicating that Atlanta may tab Anderson in order to save some funds which would be allocated tough signs, and that indeed is how their draft played out.

Scouting reports on Anderson from the three outlets above praise his fastball that sits in the low 90s but can reach 95-96 mph, and BA calls his changeup “devastating” while giving him credit for an above-average curve as well. At 6’4″ and 180 pounds, there’s certainly reason to think that Anderson can continue to fill out his frame. Anderson’s stock might’ve been higher this season if he hadn’t been slowed by an oblique injury and a bout of pneumonia. Ultimately, his deal will allow the Braves to add four high-upside arms to their ranks. While three of them (Anderson, Wentz and Muller) will be a ways off because they are of the high school variety, landing three arms that both BA and MLB.com rated within the top 25 draft prospects seems like a strong haul that should only further bolster an impressive Braves farm system.

The Braves were $2,584,700 over-slot on the combination of Wentz, Muller and Harrington, so the savings from Anderson alone appear to be enough to ensure that Atlanta avoids the loss of a future first-round pick. That wouldn’t happen until the Braves exceeded their bonus pool by more than five percent, although Atlanta will pay a 75 percent luxury tax on any overages up to five percent. That, however, hasn’t been a deterrent for teams in the past and should be of fairly marginal consequence to the Braves should they be required to do so this year.

East Notes: Red Sox, Teheran, Hamels, Rays, Crawford

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Cole Hamels, whose contract permits him to block deals to 20 teams, would not have prevented the Phillies from sending him to the Red Sox, writes WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “It was a team I would have played for,” says Hamels, who adds that he believes the two sides were never close to trade. The Red Sox pursued Hamels before the Phillies traded him to Texas, but the lefty could block a trade to Boston, and at least some members of the organization believed that was an obstacle. The Hamels deal has, of course, worked out well for the Rangers so far — Hamels was solid down the stretch last year and has a 2.79 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 this season. There’s still plenty of time for the trade to turn out well for the Phillies, however, with Jerad Eickhoff already performing well in the big leagues and Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro and Alec Asher all looking like potential future contributors. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Red Sox have the strong farm system necessary to acquire Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino from the Braves, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. Braves GM John Coppolella, of course, recently said he wasn’t going to trade Teheran, but Cafardo dismisses that claim as “GM speak” and points out that Red Sox senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren was GM of the Braves when Teheran and Vizcaino were coming through their system. (Vizcaino played minor league ball in the Yankees and Cubs organizations as well.) Cafardo points to the Red Sox’ 2005 trade of Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to the Marlins for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota. The Red Sox paid heavily, as they would likely have to do to acquire Teheran and Vizcaino, but they won the 2007 World Series partially because of the deal.
  • It’s less likely that the Rays will pursue a reunion with free agent Carl Crawford now that they’ve acquired fellow outfielders Oswaldo Arcia and Eury Perez on a pair of minor deals, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Arcia, in particular, is out of options, which would somewhat limit the Rays’ flexibility in adding another outfielder, such as Crawford, to their roster. The Rays’ outfield has been decimated by injuries, with Kevin Kiermeier, Steven Souza, Brandon Guyer, Mikie Mahtook and Steve Pearce (who the Rays have used as an infielder and DH but who has ample outfield experience) all on the DL. The Rays currently have Arcia, Desmond Jennings, Taylor Motter and Jaff Decker to man the outfield positions. Crawford, formerly a standout with the Rays, batted .185/.230/.235 in 87 plate appearances with the Dodgers before being released earlier this month.

Braves GM John Coppolella Discusses Braves’ Rebuilding Efforts

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In a lengthy Twitter dialogue with fans today, Braves GM John Coppolella discussed a variety of interesting topics rather forthrightly. There’s plenty to chew on here (all links on the chat are to Twitter):

  • Starter Julio Teheran has drawn quite a bit of attention as a possible trade candidate; as I noted recently in ranking him amongst the 15 top trade candidates, the team could conceivably cut a deal in a market that could be short of quality rotation pieces. MLBTR has examined that matter from both sides recently (see here and here). But the GM didn’t seem to think that was a compelling concept. “I don’t see us trading Teheran at this point,” said Coppolella. “He’s almost into ’right-arm’ type status for us right now.”
  • That last note was a reference to his now-famous comment about the unavailability of first baseman Freddie Freeman. It seems that other clubs have received the message loud and clear, as Coppolella says that he has not received any recent trade inquiries on the young slugger.
  • The long-term catching situations remains a “big need” that the Braves will look at in free agency, says the Atlanta point-man. It certainly promises to be an interesting area to watch this winter, with players like Wilson Ramos, Matt Wieters, and Jason Castro among the soon-to-be free agents. (And if you’re curious: yes, the Braves would have interest in injured Cubs backstop Kyle Schwarber; but no, it’s not expected he’ll be available.)
  • More generally, the team’s “primary objective” over the winter will be to improve upon a marginal offensive unit, he said. As he seeks to accomplish that, the organization expects to put its various financial improvements to work to “invest in the team,” he said. Atlanta “will have more money to spend this off season than in any of the 10 years I’ve been here,” per Coppolella. He also suggested that the Braves will be increasingly willing to deal prospects for controllable, MLB-level players.
  • Big offensive numbers had been the hope when Atlanta acquired Hector Olivera last summer. Instead, that deal has long been a source of frustration for Braves fans, and Coppolella says he agrees with the concern. It was a “bad trade for us and one that I wish we had back,” he said, adding that “all we can do is learn from it and move forward.”
  • If you’re looking for specific possibilities to find a big bat, it appears there’s at least one name on the wish list and another that can be crossed off. Coppolella says he has contacted Padres GM A.J. Preller “multiple times” to inquire about slugger Wil Myers, though obviously nothing has come to fruition as of yet. He is apparently less intrigued by veteran Cuban star Yulieski Gurriel, however, as the club does not intend to pursue him.
  • For a bit of intrigue, Coppolella suggested that there is plenty of trade chatter going on. He says that he spoke with a dozen general managers from rival clubs yesterday and even hinted that there’s a possible trade in the works as we speak (though he noted it certainly may not come to fruition).
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