MLB Rumors: Braves trade grade, Cardinals trade bait, Red Sox selling

MLB Rumors: Grading the latest Braves trade

Alex Anthopoulos pulled off a minor miracle over the weekend — albeit a strange one. AA traded Taylor Hearn, whom the team had just acquired six days prior, for infielder Nicky Lopez. The Royals infielder can play three positions well, shortstop, second base and third base, and is signed through the 2025 season.

Lopez doesn’t offer much with his bat. He has posted a .567 OPS over the last two seasons. That’s a far cry from his 3.8 bWAR in 2021. Yet, if any team can fix a player at the plate, it’s these Atlanta Braves.

Hearn was initially acquired as a bullpen addition for the Braves, but considering they were also able to claim Rowan Wick and trade for Pierce Johnson, they could afford to let Hearn go after a bad outing.

The Athletic graded this trade a B for Atlanta due to the defensive versatility Lopez can offer them as a backup infielder. It also suggests that a player like Vaughn Grissom won’t have much of a role for the Braves the rest of the season, or that he’s getting traded.

As for Kansas City, this is a bit of a head-scratcher. Rather than take a flyer on a young minor-league arm, for example, KC opted to trade for a well-known relief pitcher coming off a bad outing. Hearn’s unlikely to last long with the Royals, and in that sense it seems like KC just gave away Lopez for free.