The Astros have been trying to pry Evan Gattis from the Braves for months now, and they finally managed to pull it off. Gattis was traded to Houston along with pitcher James Hoyt for minor leaguers Mike Foltynewicz, Rio Ruiz and Andrew Thurman, the teams announced on Wednesday night.
Braves trade Evan Gattis to Astros for prospects in 5-player deal
The Braves pick up some intriguing names, and the Astros get another power hitter with strikeouts for the lineup.
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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports was first to report the deal.
Gattis isn't a free agent until 2019 and doesn't even hit arbitration eligibility until after the 2015 season, so the Astros should, in theory, get the rest of his peak years at a reasonable price. Gattis, a late bloomer will be 28 in 2015, and he's managed to hit more than 20 homers in each of the last two years while spending the majority of his time behind the plate. Gattis could play either of Houston's two weakest positions, as well: Robbie Grossman is the current left fielder and hit just .233/.337/.333 last year, and Jason Castro is the Astros' catcher. Castro seemingly broke out with a strong 2013, but followed that up with the worst full season of his four-year career. Even with that, the Astros have other options at backstop, so left field, where Gattis can play daily and try to hit 30 homers, is the most likely destination.
As for the prospects, there are intriguing ceilings here, but no guarantees. Ruiz could be a quality third baseman, but there are questions about whether he has the defensive chops for it, which could move him to first. He’s far less interesting there. Foltynewicz has the potential to be a useful arm in the Braves’ rotation thanks to his high-end velocity, but if he doesn’t bring the rest of his repertoire along, he’s probably a reliever. He could be an impact reliever with that fastball, but a reliever just the same. Thurman could be starting pitching depth, which is something the Braves are aware is always a need.
The Astros now have Gattis, Chris Carter and George Springer as power hitters in the middle of their lineup. If Springer can avoid the pitfalls that his strikeouts portend, and players like Jose Altuve and Dexter Fowler continue to produce, Houston might actually have itself a real lineup here.
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