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Braves send Evan Gattis to Astros for three top-tier prospects

By Brandon C. Williams

Sep 6, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis (24) hits a game winning home run at Marlins Ballpark. The Brave won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 6, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis (24) hits a game winning home run at Marlins Ballpark. The Brave won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Braves continued their winter of housecleaning by trading C/OF Evan Gattis to the Houston Astros for three minor league prospects.

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New year, same purpose for the Atlanta Braves: clean house.

Slugging catcher/outfielder Evan Gattis is the latest to be cleared out of Turner Field, as the Braves moved him to the Houston Astros in exchange for three minor leaguers, including pitcher Mike Foltynewicz, who is regarded as the Astros’ third-best prospect.

Gattis’ name had long been a subject of trade rumors, more so after the Braves decided to begin a rebuilding process that has seen outfielders Justin Upton and Jason Heyward moved while the team continues to find a potential suitor for outfielder B.J. Upton. Gattis is reportedly in Houston taking a physical, and while the Braves have yet to confirm the deal, multiple media sources have said the deal is complete.

In Gattis, the Astros get a 6’4″, 260-pound slugger who hit .263 with 22 homers and 52 RBI in 108 games this past season. He appeared behind the plate 93 times last season, but Gattis is expected to rotate between left field and designated hitter for the Astros, who now add another right-handed masher in the middle of the order to go along with Chris Carter and George Springer.

More importantly for Houston, the Astros will have four years of control of Gattis’ contract. Adding him into the lineup will make Houston’s batting order one of the more imposing in the American League in a time where power has decreased in the game.

A career journeyman, Gattis’ breakout 2012 season in the minors opened the door for him to win a roster spot with the Braves. He responded with 21 homers and 65 RBI in 105 games, but his .243 batting average and .293 on-base percentage helped define him as an all-or-nothing hitter, which will make him fit right at home with Carter and Springer, whose 57 combined homers in 2014 were offset by their combined 286 strikeouts.

Foltynewicz is the key to the deal for the Braves, who now plan to build around their pitching staff. He made 16 relief appearances last season, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 18.2 innings. The 19th overall pick in the 2010 draft, Foltynewicz went 7-7 with a 5.08 ERA in 21 games (18 starts) at Class AAA Oklahoma City. He’ll now join a rotation that will include youngsters Julio Tehran, Shelby Miller, Alex Wood and David Hale as part of the Braves staff along with Mike Minor.

The two other prospects heading to Atlanta are third baseman Rio Ruiz and pitcher Andrew Thurman. Ruiz batted .293 with 11 homers and 77 RBI at Class A Lancaster in the very hitter-friendly California League last season, while Thurman, the Astros’ second round pick in the 2013 draft, finished 7-9 with a 5.38 ERA with Class A Quad Cities in 2014.

On the surface, the Astros appear to have received the edge, as Gattis should provide 25-30 homers as part of a Three True Outcomes middle of the order in Houston, yet Foltynewicz is a consensus top-100 prospect, while Ruiz’s slowly emerging power could put him in Atlanta by the end of 2016. Thurman is a durable arm who projects as a middle of the rotation pitcher. All three should be on the Braves roster when they open their new ballpark in 2017.

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