As you all no doubt know by now, the Braves just made a blockbuster trade: Alex Wood, Jose Peraza, Jim Johnson, Luis Avilan, and most of Bronson Arroyo’s dead-money contract for Hector Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, Zach Bird, and a late-first round pick in the 2016 amateur draft.
The key to all of this is Olivera, who just might be an impact player at third base. If he is, then he’s cheap at the price, and the Braves won’t regret trading one of their best pitchers and one of their best prospects for a 30-year old Cuban player who hasn’t played a day in the majors and who has been dogged by injury concerns for the past three years.