Braves Complete 3-Team Blockbuster

The rumors have been swirling the last 20 hours or so. Fox Sport’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Braves lefty Alex Wood would be inserted into a three-team trade with the Dodgers and the Marlins. He also tweeted soon after that Jim Johnson would be involved deal.

The news regarding Jim Johnson should come a surprise to nobody, as most people around the organization felt Johnson would be dealt to a contending team prior to the deadline. However, Wood is a another story. The lefty still has multiple years left on his team friendly contract and has been one of the Braves most consistent starters the past two seasons. However, with the Braves stockpiling good pitching prospects, it is clear they view Wood as expendable.

The news really got interesting when MLB.com writer for the Braves Mark Bowman tweeted that Braves top prospect Jose Peraza would also be included in the deal.

Well now the Braves look to be embarking on some sort of blockbuster deal here. Who could it be? The smooth swinging lefty Joc Peterson, maybe the electrifying Yasiel Puig, maybe even top prospect Corey Seager. Jeff Passan provided us with the answer in this tweet:

Excuse me? Our top prospect, current number two pitcher, and our closer for A 30 year old prospect, A Zach Bird (whatever that is) and a draft pick. John Hart you have pulled the right strings so far, but this?

After some overnight complications the deal has finally been completed. Mark Bowman provided the final trade details:

The Braves have had their eyes on Olivera for a while now. SportsTalkATL did an article on him in March when the Braves had reported interest in signing the 30-year old Cuban. That article can be seen here:

The Dodgers outbid the Braves for Olivera, but the Braves trading for him now saves them loads of money.The 30-year old does have star potential and is hitting .387 in seven AAA games thus far. However, the price tag seems very steep for a 30 year old prospect when the Braves are supposed to be rebuilding for the future. Zach Bird is a decent pitching prospect, but has yet to really put it together in the minors and will likely never make a big impact for the Braves. Paco Rodriguez is an injured reliever, but could provide useful when healthy considering the Braves bullpen struggles.
Braves Country just has to hope that Hector Olivera lives up to the hype. The team has called up Ryan Kelly, Jake Brigham and Matt Marksberry as a corresponding move.

Update: Bronson Arroyo will also be heading to the Dodgers. The Braves acquired the injured pitcher’s contract along with prospect Touki Touissant in a trade with the Diamondbacks earlier this season. The move simply just saves the Braves money.

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