Braves trade does little to solve the lingering Orlando Arcia problem

In a season where not much went right for the Atlanta Braves, outside of injuries, perhaps nothing was as glaring as the decline of shortstop Orlando Arcia, specifically at the plate. After an All-Star campaign the year prior, Arcia was a black hole in the Braves lineup when, without Ronald Acuña Jr. and amid other injuries, they needed any boost they could get.

After posting a .733 and .741 OPS in his first two full seasons with the Braves, Arcia saw that mark crater to just .625. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that the second-half decline that fans witnessed from him in Atlanta during the 2023 season turned out to potentially be the norm for the now-30-year-old.

Subsequently, Braves fans have been pining desperately for Alex Anthopoulos to find an upgrade for Arcia this offseason. Willy Adames or Bo Bichette have been the dream options mentioned in that regard but, in actuality, fans would probably accept anything.

So when it was announced on Monday that the Braves had made a trade for a infielder who has seen ample time at shortstop, the first thought might be that Anthopoulos was doing that. Unfortunately, trading for Nick Allen really doesn't offer much relief at all.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Braves trade for INF Nick Allen, still need fix for Orland Arcia issue

The Braves traded for former Oakland Athletics Top 5 prospect Nick Allen on Tuesday in exchange for Jared Johnson, the club announced.

Allen, 26, has played 247 games across the last three seasons with the A's and has been, shall we say, less than stellar. His career .209/.254/.283 slash line isn't going to turn heads, nor are his nine home runs or 30 total extra-base hits in 760 plate appearances. Put simply, the young middle infielder hasn't lived up to the hype that he once had.

Now, to be sure, trades with the Athletics have obvious been quite profitable for the Braves in recent years but Allen also certainly isn't Matt Olson or Sean Murphy. And it would be an extremely difficult sell for the club to put in a player far less proven than Arcia as an upgrade over the incumbent shortstop.

In all likelihood, this is just an all-upside swing by Anthopoulos for depth that may or may not work out. Still, these types of moves can be valuable. The key, however, is that there will be more value in the Braves finding a clear-cut upgrade at the position this offseason.