In the last minutes of Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline, the Braves made a three-player deal to try to bolster their bench and bullpen. Atlanta acquired utility man Emilio Bonifacio and left-handed relief pitcher James Russell from the Cubs in exchange for minor league catcher Victor Caratini.
Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell traded from Cubs to Braves
Brian Kersey
Russell had a 3.51 ERA in 44 appearances with the Cubs with a save, 26 strikeouts and 16 walks in 33 innings. In his career, Russell has held left-handed batters to hitting just .240/.276/.416, though this year lefties have hit Russell to the tune of .295/.358/.525 in 70 plate appearances. The 28-year-old is making $1.775 million this year and has one more year of arbitration eligibility in 2015 before free agent eligibility.
Bonifacio, 29, is hitting .279/.318/.373 with 14 doubles and 14 stolen bases in 69 games, and has played second base, third base, shortstop and center field this season. Most of his time has been at center field, with 36 starts, and second base, with 23 starts. Bonifacio is making $2.5 million this season.
Caratini, 20, was drafted in the second round in 2013. He was hitting .279/.352/.406 with 18 doubles in 87 games with Class-A Rome in the South Atlantic League.
With Bonifacio and Russell set to make roughly $1.4 million the rest of the season, the Cubs are sending roughly $1 million to the Braves in the deal, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times.
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