|
Blockbuster ideas for each team, espn schoenfield
Kansas City Royals trade OF Jorge Soler to the Atlanta Braves for OF Ender Inciarte, RHP Kyle Wright and C Alex Jackson
We know Liberty Media is too cheap to re-sign Josh Donaldson, so let's think outside the box for a way the Braves can replace his bat. Whit Merrifield is the player everyone keeps trying to have the Royals trade, but maybe we should look at AL home run champ Soler, who is eligible for free agency after 2021. Are the Royals going to be a playoff team in the next two years?
The Braves deal from their arsenal of pitching prospects. Wright was the fifth overall pick in 2017 out of Vanderbilt and made four starts for the Braves in 2019, but his stuff has backed up a little and he looks more mid-rotation starter than potential ace. Jackson hit 26 home runs at Triple-A, although that came with a .229 average and a lot of strikeouts. Inciarte is included to offset most of Soler's salary -- remember, Liberty Media and the Braves may be maxed out on payroll after signing Will Smith and Travis d'Arnaud -- and the Royals can keep him or flip him to a team looking for a center fielder.
The Braves can then slide Austin Riley to his natural position at third base, play Soler in left field and run with a Nick Markakis/Adam Duvall platoon in right. And Ronald Acuna Jr. permanently settles into center field for the next nine years.
|