The Braves might be following in the Nationals’ footsteps and rebuilding through very high draft picks. Atlanta made the first eyebrow-raising move of the offseason by trading standout shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Angels for Erick Aybar and pitching prospect Sean Newcomb.
Here are some of the studs Atlanta will be looking to trade away, per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
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Freddie Freeman, 1B (8 Years, $135 million through 2021)
If the Braves want to build up their system with multiple prospects in one fell swoop, trading away a 26-year-old power hitter is the way to go. Freeman was making a leap in the power department before injuries cut his season short. He hit 18 home runs in 118 games, after swatting 18 in 2014 in 162 games. Freeman’s RBI total was down because of the terrible lineup he was anchoring, but his slash line of .276/.370/.471 doesn’t represent his ceiling.
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Freeman is also an adequate defensive first baseman (-3.6 defensive rating per Fangraphs), and is in his physical prime.
Expected Suitors: Mariners, Orioles
Julio Teheran, SP (6 Years, $32.4 million through 2020)
Teheran was underwhelming in 2015, going 11-8 with a 4.04 ERA, but his second half performance was encouraging, and his age (24) can’t be ignored. Teheran has already thrown 200-plus innings twice in his career, so he has proven he is a durable pitcher. His strikeout rate didn’t drop dramatically from his much better 2014 campaign, and his BABIP jumped, indicating he was the victim of some bad luck.
He also saw a five percent increase in his ground ball rate; for a pitcher whose strikeouts have dipped since 2013, an uptick in ground balls is a solid correlation.Teheran is also under team control through 2020 on a contract that makes him one of the most valuable arms in the sport. Pitchers like Matt Harvey of the Mets are going to be angling for $200 million by 2018, whereas any team can trade for Teheran, have similar upside to Harvey’s and control him for an additional two seasons during his absolute prime.
Expected Suitors: Yankees, Cubs, Royals, Red Sox
Cameron Maybin, OF (5 Years, $25 million through 2018)
Maybin, 28, isn’t the caliber of Freeman or Teheran, but he’s a useful player nonetheless. Maybin has the reputation of a defensive wizard, even though Fangraphs’ rating hasn’t been kind to him in two of the last three seasons. Atlanta may be able to capitalize on the perception lagging behind reality, however, and sell him as a Gold Glove candidate who discovered his stroke in 2015.
Last year Maybin swiped 23 bases and hit 10 home runs to go with a .267/.327/.370 slash line. He also avoided a bit from the injury bug, playing in 155 games and making 555 plate appearances. At 28, Maybin is no longer a franchise cornerstone type of building block, but he’s a quality player who can hit in any part of the lineup.
Expected Suitors: Mariners, Mets, Indians
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