http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/astros-two-other-teams-in-aggressive-pursuit-of-evan-gattis.html#disqus_thread

 

Well, I guess the Astros aren't worried about strike outs.  Wow.  Gattis has some real power and should hit 25-30 HR for Houston while playing LF/DH and 1B.  He'll probably strike out 120 times.  They gave up a couple intriguing prospects - Rio Ruiz, who could be a big sleeper guy and a top 100 prospect next year; Mike Foltywizzcdhdfhd (sp), who has a cannon but struggled.  He might end up in the bullpen.  And they also threw in Andrew Thurman, a college pitcher drafted in the second round a year ago who might be a #4/5 starter.

Edited January 14, 201511 yr by gunnarthor

Is this really done? Conflicting reports  on line if it is done.

Really want to read Ben's take on this.

This was rather a foregone conclusion when the team over and over discussed their emphasis on defense up the middle.  Gattis outside of catcher is a scary proposition to an NL team.  I do believe he could have a 40 homer bat with the DH to keep down the wear and tear on his body plus a manager smart enough to play him two days in a row.

 

I will miss the great story around Gattis, but I just have a bad feeling that he'll have a very quick decline as he already has "old man skills" as they say.

 

The return I would consider on par or even better than Justin Upton's return, and Upton was an MVP candidate last season.  The Braves have gone from a bottom 5-10 system to a top 5-10 system in one offseason with a lot of money in hand to pursue Yoan Moncada as well.

The return I would consider on par or even better than Justin Upton's return, and Upton was an MVP candidate last season.  The Braves have gone from a bottom 5-10 system to a top 5-10 system in one offseason with a lot of money in hand to pursue Yoan Moncada as well.

I wouldn't go quite so far on either claim - Max Fried is the best prospect they got by a good margin and they are probably in the 11-15ish range in systems.  But it is a good start for them and a nice return for Gattis.

I wouldn't go quite so far on either claim - Max Fried is the best prospect they got by a good margin and they are probably in the 11-15ish range in systems.  But it is a good start for them and a nice return for Gattis.

 

It's all subjective.  I agree that Fried is the best guy acquired so far, but the rumor is that there's a fourth player that is still being negotiated, but will reportedly be another top-100 type of guy.  The heavy rumor is Domingo Santana.  Add him to the mix, and it's a tremendous haul.  The biggest issue for the Braves is the lack of major league caliber return in their offseason deals.

 

I'd not put the Braves 5 on a top system list, but they have a pretty good argument about #8.