The Trade of Saltalamacchia

My fantasy baseball team stinks. I’m in 11th place. There are 12 teams. The guy in last quit the league and has had his roster frozen for the past month-and-a-half. I suck.
But there was hope for me for next year. In our NL-only keeper league, I had some nice pieces to make a run in 2008. My crown jewel: Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Now, thanks to John Schuerholz, my ’08 title hopes are about the same as Lindsay Lohan’s chances of never seeing the inside of a rehab clinic again. Like I said, I suck.

But aside from torching my fantasy baseball hopes, I love this trade for both sides. Let’s recap, quickly: The Braves, 4.5 games out of first in the NL East, get first baseman Mark Teixeira, a legit power threat at first, and Ron Mahay, who should help stabilize the bullpen (along with Octavio Dotel, who also appears headed to Hot-lanta).

The Rangers, who stopped thinking playoffs in mid-April, land Salty, perhaps the best catching prospect in the game, as well as Elvis Andrus and two other minor leaguers.
It was a great haul for both teams, filling key needs in Atlanta and Arlington.
For the Braves, Mahay helps a bullpen that was constructed to be the team’s strength during the offseason, but has dealt with several key injuries in the past two months. Of course, Tex is the big catch here.

Parting with Saltalamacchia was no doubt tough, but he has far more value as a catcher than a first baseman, and the Braves were already set with Brian McCann. Teixeira steps in as an immediate upgrade at first, a position where the Braves ranked 29th in the bigs in batting average and dead last in RBI.

The move could be the spark Atlanta needs to make a run at the playoffs and, perhaps, a World Series. For fans, this move can’t help but remind you of the acquisition of Fred McGriff in 1993. Now, if Turner Field catches on fire during Teixeira’s first game, we’ll know something special is going on.

The other reason Tex’s arrival is huge for Atlanta is that it likely signals the end of Andruw Jones’ career with the Braves. Jones, who has been criticized for failing to realize his full potential even in his best seasons, has been dreadful for most of 2007 and is set for free agency at year’s end. He’ll command big money on the open market, and Atlanta has shown in recent years, it just isn’t willing to spend it. Tex will get a healthy pay day for sure – Atlanta wouldn’t have dealt top prospects unless it knew it would have Teixeira long-term – and there just won’t be enough dollars to go around. Tex’s bat will slide in nicely as a replacement for Jones in 2008.
The Rangers add several strong prospects as part of their rebuilding plan and should be thrilled with their take. The big-name player for big-time prospect deals simply haven’t been there in recent years, with most teams anxious to keep their own younger (and more importantly, cheaper) talent rather than make a run at a playoff spot with an aging vet. Saltalamacchia and Andrus could be anchoring a dangerous Texas team in three years. And with Eric Gagne and others still on the block, the prospect influx could be even greater for the Rangers.

Of course, you never know with these deals. Perhaps Salty never develops into a true star. Perhaps Andrus never plays a game in the bigs. Maybe Tex flames out in Atlanta, taking the Braves’ playoff hopes with him. Perhaps. But in what was shaping up as an extremely dull trade deadline (Steve Trachsel anyone?), this deal was truly headline-worthy.
Next time though, I’d appreciate it if John Schuerholz would check with me first.
- David Hale