In 2006, the Atlanta Braves had their best season by a first baseman since Andres Galarraga when Adam LaRoche put up 2.2 fWAR thanks to his 32 home runs. However, at the same time, the Braves had their second-worst bullpen since their division title run, which might have contributed to the franchise missing the playoffs for the first time in 16 years.
Looking to shake things up, the Braves shipped off LaRoche along with minor leaguer Jamie Romak to the Pirates in exchange for closer Mike Gonzalez and top-100 prospect Brent Lillibridge. The Braves made LaRoche available because of their belief in prospect Scott Thorman, but this trust ended up being disastrous for years to come.