(5/11) Atlanta Braves trade Jholuys Chacin to the Los Angeles Angels for Adam McCreery
McCreery has gotten lit up since joining the Braves’ farm system, owning a 7.11 ERA in 15 appearances between Rookie and A ball. On the other hand, Chacin has been lackluster in LA as well. He has a 5.34 ERA on the year. This trade did nothing for either side really, but it did allow the Braves to open a rotation spot for younger arms. This trade is as “meh” as it gets.
Grade: C
(5/23) Atlanta Braves trade Brandon Barker and Trevor Belicek to the Baltimore Orioles for Brian Matusz and the 76th overall pick in the MLB Draft (Brett Cumberland)
The Braves DFA’d Matusz immediately after the trade was made, but they have had a steady stable of southpaws this season. Neither Trevor Belicek nor Brandon Barker have been as good in the Orioles’ system thus far. The trade got the Braves Brett Cumberland, who is starting to pick things up in Rookie ball and is now one of the organization’s top prospects at a position of need. This trade also increased the Braves’ bonus pool, which let Coppy work his magic and draft Ian Anderson, Joey Wentz and Kyle Muller before Cumberland. Our whole draft strategy was dependent on this move, so it’s hard to complain
Grade: A
(5/31) Atlanta Braves trade Jason Grilli to the Toronto Blue Jays for Sean Ratcliffe
This is one of the few moves Coppy has made during his tenure that left many Braves fans scratching their heads. The Braves traded Grilli while his stock was low, and got little in return for him. Ratcliffe has only made a couple appearances since the trade, but considering the ridiculous asking price of closers at this year’s trade deadline, Grilli could have been a much better trade chip. He has a 2.18 ERA in 22 appearances for the Blue Jays. Only reason this trade does not earn an F is because of the limited sample size for Ratcliffe, but he is not exactly considered to be a prospect.
Grade: D
(6/8) Atlanta Braves trade Kelly Johnson to the New York Mets for Akeel Morris
Kelly Johnson has played better since returning to the Mets after a slow start with the Braves. However, the performance of Jace Peterson would have inevitably made Kelly expendable. The Braves still got a relief prospect who can help the team soon in Akeel Morris. Morris has a 2.91 ERA since joining the Mississippi Braves and is under team control until 2022. This trade helps the Braves down the road, and it was a miracle Coppy got anything of value back for KJ.
Grade: B+
(6/30) Atlanta Braves trade Bud Norris, Dian Toscano, and a PTBNL (Alec Grosser) to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Caleb Dirks and Phillip Pfeiffer
After a rough start to the season, Bud Norris finally got hot and Coppy sold high while he had a chance and the Dodgers were in desperation mode. Norris has been a serviceable starter this season but he was not in the Braves’ future plans, and Dian Toscano and Alec Grosser both proved to be expendable pieces. As far as the return went, Pfeiffer has been decent in a small sample size since the acquisition. However, Caleb Dirks, a guy the Braves re-acquired after trading him to L.A. just a year ago, has been absolutely dynamite. He has a 1.16 ERA in 39 minor league appearances this season and a 1.33 mark for his career. This kid could be a future closer.
Grade: A
(7/27) Atlanta Braves trade Dario Alvarez and Lucas Harrell to the Texas Rangers for Travis Demeritte
The Braves moved two pieces they picked up midseason to acquire a legit power hitting prospect. Both Harrell and Alvarez have gotten lit up since the trade was made, but Demeritte has not done anything, either. The kid has 25 home runs on the season so he is well worth the risk, although Dario Alvarez looks like he could be in the bigs for a while. He struck guys out at an electric rate, but he may prove to have been a ticking time bomb.
Grade: A-
(7/30) Atlanta Braves trade Hector Olivera to the San Diego Padres for Matt Kemp
The Braves not only got rid of what was quite possibly the hardest contract to move in all of baseball, but also got an early jump at free agency for next year by acquiring stud outfielder Matt Kemp. This move finally offers Freddie Freeman some protection in the lineup and some much needed power. When considering that the Dodgers and Padres are paying a portion of his salary and Olivera’s contract was about to become dead money, this trade looks like even more of a win for the Braves.
Grade: A+