This past Thursday, Andrelton Simmons of the Atlanta Braves along with minor league catcher Jose Briceno were traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Braves received two minor league pitching prospects in return, Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis, along with veteran shortstop Erick Aybar. The trade was a shock to many Braves fans and left many questioning the move.

Andrelton Simmons was arguably the best defensive player in the game. He made dazzling plays game by game and saved many runs from being scored. Andrelton struggled with his hitting though. He did not hit for a high average and did not have a high on-base percentage. He also rarely walked which contributed to his low on-base percentage. His struggles hitting were his ultimate reason for being traded. Also, Ozhaino Albies, the Braves top prospect at shortstop is progressing fast in the minors. The Braves see him as the future and that made Simmons disposable.

The Braves received some pretty great talent back in the trade. Newcomb and Ellis were the number 1 and 2 ranked prospects in the Angels system. The Braves are now loaded with pitching for years to come. Along with the acquisitions of Touki Toussaint, Tyrell Jenkins, Max Fried, Manny Banuelos, and Matt Wisler it sure is a loaded pitching staff for the future for the Braves.

The criticism from many Braves fans of this trade is that they are wondering when the Braves are going to acquire some talented hitting. They are loading up on pitching but if you can’t score it does not really matter how much pitching you have. I feel that some of these pitching prospects will be flipped for some hitting in the near future. The Braves also now have a ton of money to spend so they should be able to go out into the free agent market and acquire some hitting talent.

The future is still bright for the Atlanta Braves. It is tough as a fan to see Simmons go but there has to be excitement with how much young talent the Braves have now.