The Cardinals have found a solution for their outfield problems, as well as a new home for the still-youthful starting pitcher, Shelby Miller. The Braves sent Jason Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden to St. Louis in exchange for Miller as well as 21-year-old minor-league arm Tyrell Jenkins on Monday, according to the Cardinals themselves.
Jason Heyward traded from Braves to Cardinals in exchange for Shelby Miller
The Cardinals get their outfielder, and the Braves get another young starter to work with.
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The Braves had attempted to sign Jason Heyward to a lengthy extension in the past, as they did with Freddie Freeman and other cornerstones of this core, but were rebuffed and had to settle for guaranteeing him dollars through his arbitration years instead. Heyward was headed into the final year of that contract, so Atlanta sought to turn him into a long-term asset with a trade now instead of waiting until midseason or losing him to the market this time next year. The Cardinals, in need of a productive right fielder since Carlos Beltran left for the Yankees, grabbed hold of Heyward while only giving up a young starter, something they are overflowing with.
The Cardinals now have a complete outfield for 2015, with Heyward joining Jon Jay and and Matt Holliday. The Braves have added Shelby Miller to a rotation that features Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, Alex Wood, and all the health questions that surround Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy. Miller has his own question marks, but he's always had talent and finished 2014 strong with a 2.93 ERA over his final 10 starts of the season. Plus, they can shift Justin Upton to right field, where his glove is a better fit than in center, and put Evan Gattis in left to make room for the defensively strong Christian Bethancourt behind the plate.
This is the first major move for the new-look Braves’ front office, which features John Hart as President of Baseball Operations and essentially the general manager as well. Whether it’s the Braves’ accepting 2015 as a reloading year or simply the first step in a larger plan to shake up the roster in order to compete sooner than later is a question that the rest of the winter will answer.
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