After weeks of rumors and speculation, the Braves have traded first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Angels for first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek. Teixeira had been a big boost to the Braves offense since coming over in a seven player deal last July, compiling 37 homers and 134 RBIs in 157 games, second only to the Phillies Ryan Howard. But during that mark the Braves failed to go over .500.
Kotchman, who is not eligible for free agency until 2011, has hit 12 homers while batting .287 this season.
Teixeira’s impending free agency and the Braves health problems sealed his fate in the Braves organization. What the Braves saw as an imminent departure, the Angels see as a long term asset, even though they did not request to meet with Teixeira and his agent Scott Boras before completing the deal.
Hind sight being 20/20, I’m guessing Jarrod Saltalamacchia would most likely still be with the Braves, but there are very few people who could have predicted the debilitating injuries Atlanta has suffered this year. If only 2 of the 5 projected starters had been injured or if Jeff Francoeur could have held off on his mental break down for a couple more years, maybe Teixeira could have been that push that got them back into contention. But it wasn’t meant to be.
(Photo: Gregory Smith/AP; Christian Petersen/Getty Images Source)
It's been fun blogging with you,
Kate
Kate
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