Did The Braves Do The Right Thing?
The MLB trade deadline finally had a blockbuster. On Tuesday the Rangers finalized a deal that sent Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay to the Braves for Jarod Saltalamacchia and minor leaguers Elvis Andrus, Neftalia Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Beau Jones. The question is, did the Braves give up too much?
First let’s look at Teixeira. In 78 games this year he has batted .297 with just 13 homers. This comes following a 2006 season in which his home runs fell to 33 after a career high 43 in 2005. That means that barring a remarkable power surge this will be the second season in a row his power numbers will fall. Now I’m not saying Teixeira is past his prime. All I’m saying is that there are some signs he is no longer he monster home run hitter (81 homers from from 2004-2005) that he is perceived to be.
The second issue for the Braves is his contract status. Teixeira will be a free agent after next season and he reportedly turned down an 8 year, $140 million extension from the Rangers. Teixeira has expressed interest in signing a long term deal with his hometown Orioles, but he did go to school at Georgia Tech and may be willing to sign an extension with the Braves. Still, one must consider the fact that he could be a 15 month rental.
The Braves also appear to have given up an awful lot for just one player. Baseball America rated Saltalamacchia, Andrews, and Harrison as the team’s top three prospects heading into the season, while Feliz is a 19 year-old with a fastball in the mid 90’s and Jones is just two years removed from being a first round pick. The five of them all seem like legitimate prospects.
However, on closer examination the Braves really didn’t give up all that much to land Teixeira. While Saltalamacchia has been given his share of hype, he batted .230 in Double A last year. Although he hit .309 there this year, it was in just 22 games, and he has no experience at the Triple A level. That’s not exactly a dominating minor league career.
More importantly, the Braves knew more about Saltalamacchia than anybody else. They drafted him, coached him, and watched him play in the major leagues for two months. They could have easily installed him as their everyday first baseman, but they decided that Teixeira was such an upgrade it was worth giving the Rangers Saltalamacchia and four other players to get him. It’s almost like the Braves were a shady used car salesman. While it may seem like they were giving away a great car for a low price, they knew more about the car than anybody else, and thus knew exactly what it was worth.
Then there are the other prospects the Braves gave up. Andrus, the team’s #2 prospect, is hitting just.244 in High A. While he is only 18 (which is what makes him a real prospect) he is far from a sure thing. Harrison really only projects as a #3 or #4 starter, Feliz lacks command, and Jones recently had to be sent back down to Low A after posting a 15.26 ERA the Braves High A team. That doesn’t sound like a bunch of blue chippers to me.
Still, even if the price the Braves paid isn’t as high as it seems, they need to both resign Teixeira and have him regain his 2004-2005 form for this deal to be worthwhile. Let’s face it, the Braves are deluding themselves if they think they are real World Series contenders. They still aren’t better than the Mets and there’s no way they can compete with any of the contenders in the A.L. The only way the deal will end up being worthwhile for the Braves is if they resign Teixeira and turn the trade into something that solidifies their first base position for the next 6-8 years.
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