The Cardinals made an effort to get younger Thursday by trading left-hander Jaime Garcia to the Braves for three prospects. The teams announced the deal Thursday evening.
St. Louis received right-hander John Gant, infielder Luke Dykstra and pitcher Chris Ellis. Gant, 24, made 20 appearances (seven starts) for the Braves last season, posting a 4.86 ERA in 50 innings. He averaged 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Garcia, 30, was terrific in 2015, posting a 10-6 record with a sterling 2.43 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Though he regressed last season — 10-13 with a 4.67 ERA — Garcia, when healthy, can be a quality mid-rotation starter for the quickly improving Braves, who earlier this offseason signed veteran free agents Bartolo Colon and R.