On Wednesday the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves executed the latest big trade of the offseason and it was finalized on Thursday. The team also avoided arbitration with their designated hitter shortly after the deal.
According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the trade between the Astros and Braves is official. Catcher/outfielder Evan Gattis as well as minor leaguer James Hoyt are on their way to Houston while the Braves will receive three prospects - Mike Foltynewicz, Andrew Thurman and Rio Ruiz - from the Astros. Houston was one of three teams said to be "aggressively pursuing" Gattis.
The deal is beneficial for both sides, since it's clear the Braves are rebuilding in some manner after trading three of their power hitters in Gattis, Justin Upton and Jason Heyward this offseason. In return, the Astros will get Gattis under club control for the next four seasons to join sluggers Chris Carter, George Springer and Jon Singleton. The 28-year-old Gattis slashed .253/.304/.487 with the Braves in his first two MLB seasons (213) games and belted 43 home runs and 117 RBIs over that span. He joins shortstop Jed Lowrie and relievers Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek as the team's offseason acquisitions.
They'll also get the 28-year-old Hoyt, who has spent the last four seasons in the minors. The right-handed reliever owns a 10-8 record with a 3.39 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 286 strikeouts in 144 games (220 1/3 innings). He reached Triple-A this past season, but should start there in 2015 after struggling with a 5.46 ERA in 24 games.
You can check out the analysis of the prospects the Braves received in yesterday's initial report of the trade.
As for their other power hitters, the Astros avoided arbitration with designated hitter/first baseman Chris Carter, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The two sides agreed to a one-year, $4.175 million contract after the slugger earned just $510,000 last season. Carter, 28, has spent the last two seasons with Houston and owns a stat line of .225/.314/.471 with 66 home runs and 170 RBIs in 293 games. They were his first two full seasons in the MLB.
Wednesday was a good day for the Astros, as they kept Carter for a bargain price and added Gattis to join him in the lineup. Carter smashed 37 home runs last season and Gattis added 22 for the Braves in only 108 games. After just one offseason, it appears the Astros may have a roster to compete in 2015.
They're still looking to add another starting pitcher, and with James Shields and Max Scherzer still available, things may get interesting.
