This Atlanta Braves trade has aged horribly

The Braves didn’t regret trading for Mark Teixeira immediately, but the more time went by, the more they came to realize their mistake.

The 2007 season was thought to be a promising one for the Braves, and by the deadline, Atlanta was seemingly one piece away from making a run in the NL East.

So, they added that player in former Texas Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira. It’s no fault of his own, as Teixeira balled out in his time with the Braves.

Those last few months of the season, Teixeira hit 17 home runs with a ridiculous OPS. Yet, despite all of that, it wasn’t enough to get the Braves to the postseason.

Braves trade for Mark Teixeira aged horribly

While Teixeira was an excellent player, he’s definitely not known for his time in Atlanta. If anything, the Rangers’ return for said trade is what will make the Braves regret it so.

The Braves traded Elvis Andrus, Neftalí Feliz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones to the Rangers in this deal. That’s…a lot of players, and prospect capital, but it was required to get a player like Teixeira at the deadline.

Unfortunately, Andrus became a longtime Ranger, and was a key member of several playoff runs. Saltalamacchia was a legitimate starting catcher, both in Texas and elsewhere, for over a decade. Feliz became one of the best closers in the game, at least for a time. Heck, Harrison even made an All-Star team.

The next season, the Braves traded away Teixeira to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek. Yuck.

Consider this trade an obvious win for the Rangers, despite the fact it looked quite favorable for Atlanta at the time. 2007 may seem like a long time ago, but rival GMs have taken note of the quantity of players Atlanta sent back in return for Teixeira.