The Braves trading Yunel Escobar to the Blue Jays for Alex Gonzalez in a five-player deal ranks as the CBSSports.com Rumors blog's third-worst trade-deadline deal since 2007.
Year: 2010
Trading partner: Toronto Blue Jays
Who the Braves acquired: Veteran shortstop Alex Gonzalez, prospect Tyler Pastornicky, and pitcher Tim Collins.
Who the Braves gave up: Shortstop Yunel Escobar and pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes.
Why the deal backfired for the Braves: Atlanta, in trading Escobar for Gonzalez as the focal point of the five-player deal, gave up the better player, so it wasn’t so much the deal backfired -- it was just a flawed deal from the outset.
Yes, Escobar had issues in the Atlanta clubhouse, and was it was reported that he had issues with teammates, coaches and front office personnel. Gonzalez was having a strong season at the time for Toronto, but, in making the deal, Atlanta got older and less productive at shortstop in the long-term.
Gonzalez had hit 17 home runs for Toronto when he was acquired by Atlanta, but he left his power stroke north of the border. He hit .240/.291/.386 in 72 games with the Braves, with six home runs and 38 RBI, as Atlanta qualified for the postseason, losing the NLDS in four games.
Where are they now: Gonzalez signed with the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason, after spending 2011 as Atlanta’s starting shortstop. He posted a .642 OPS last year, with 15 home runs and 55 RBI last year.
Pastornicky, a fifth-round selection of the Blue Jays in 2008, made it to the majors this season and has played 47 games for the Braves, batting .252/.284/.327, with a home run and 12 RBI. The Braves might have had high hopes when they acquired Pastornicky, and thought he might challenge for the everyday job at short, but Andrelton Simmons has taken the job. Pastornicky, 22, doesn’t yet have the trust of the Braves, and whether he makes an impact at the major-league level remains to be seen.
Collins, 22, signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Blue Jays and was traded by the Braves to Kansas City two weeks after they acquired him. The diminutive reliever seems to have found a home in the Royals bullpen, where he’s pitched the past two seasons. In 109 games and 112.2 innings, Collins has a 3.51 ERA, and he’s racked up an impressive 122 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .204 average. For both Toronto and Atlanta, Collins may just be the one who got away.
Escobar, 29, enjoyed a productive 2011 in Toronto, posting a .782 OPS, and 4.3 WAR, the second-best total of his career. However, consistency remains Escobar’s biggest hurdle. When his head’s in the game, he’s proven to be one of baseball’s better shortstops. When it’s not, teams don’t seem to have the patience to keep him around. All in all, while he’s been very steady defensively, it’s been a disappointing season for Escobar thanks to his efforts at the plate.
Toronto signed Escobar to a team-friendly extension last June, and he’s under contract through 2013 at $5 million per season, with club options in 2014 and 2015 at that same price. Rumors -- as reported by CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler -- are out there, though, that the Jays have soured on Escobar, for many of the same reasons Atlanta did, and that they’re trying to move him at this year’s deadline. Toronto may be trying to pave the way for for another Cuban shortstop, Adeiny Hechavarria.
Jo-Jo Reyes is a member of the Pirates organization, after unproductive stints in Toronto and Baltimore. He has a lifetime ERA of 6.05 in 334.2 innings, and has never been able to translate his Triple-A success the majors.