The Braves have acquired first baseman Matt Adams and cash considerations from the Cardinals for minor league infielder Juan Yepez, according to an announcement from Atlanta. In a corresponding move, the Braves have designated catcher Anthony Recker for assignment.
[RELATED: Updated Braves & Cardinals Depth Charts]
The Braves already have one of the elite first basemen in baseball in Freddie Freeman, but he suffered a fractured wrist earlier this week and could miss nearly three months. Without any obvious replacements inside the organization – including the recently signed but highly flawed James Loney – the Braves ventured to the trade market for Adams, who MLBTR’s Steve Adams suggested would be a sensible fit in the wake of Freeman’s injury.
Matt Adams was the Cardinals’ primary first baseman from 2013-14, when he combined to hit .287/.327/.474 in 882 plate appearances, but both his performance and playing time have fallen off dramatically since then. The Cardinals moved former third baseman/second baseman Matt Carpenter to first in the offseason, further decreasing Adams’ chances of picking up at-bats in St. Louis. After it was unable to trade Adams over the winter, the club tried the big-bodied 28-year-old in the outfield earlier this season as a way to get his bat in the lineup. However, the Cardinals quickly abandoned that experiment after Adams fared poorly in the grass. Consequently, Adams has totaled just 53 plate appearances this season, hitting .292/.340/.396 along the way.
Having combined for 12 Defensive Runs Saved and a 4.6 Ultimate Zone Rating in nearly 3,000 career innings at first base, Adams should fill in for Freeman with aplomb in the field. But there will be a major drop-off at the plate, especially given that the lefty-swinging Adams has essentially been unusable against southpaws during his career. Adams has posted a woeful .210/.240/.348 line in 283 PAs versus lefties, making him a platoon bat, though the Braves don’t currently have any right-handed hitters with significant first base experience on their bench.
Regardless of Adams’ flaws, the Braves’ hope is that he’ll help them stay afloat in the National League until Freeman returns. Once that happens, the Braves will likely relegate Adams to a pinch-hitting role, and they’ll then have to decide whether to keep him over the winter as he enters his final arbitration-eligible season. Adams is currently on a $2.8MM salary.
To acquire nearly two years of control over Adams, the Braves surrendered a relatively anonymous prospect in the 19-year-old Yepez, whom they signed out of Venezuela in 2014. The majority of Yepez’s work since last season has come at the Single-A level, where he has batted .275/.309/.387 in 152 PAs this year. When Yepez joined the Braves, Baseball America’s Ben Badler wrote that the righty-swinger has “quick hands, a loose swing and good balance with solid power,” adding that his future could be at either corner infield spot. This past winter, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs credited Yepez for his “above-average raw power,” but he suggested that Yepez will need to vastly improve his approach to remain a prospect.
As for Recker, he joined the Braves last May in a trade that saw them send cash considerations to Cleveland. Recker picked up 112 PAs with the Braves last season and held his own with a .278/.394/.433 line. The 33-year-old has tallied just seven major league PAs this season, though, as Atlanta has gotten terrific production from fellow backstops Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki.
Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported the trade (on Twitter). Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I feel kinda bad for Matt Adams
Why he is going to get to play almost every day
Ya I’m curious to see how well he does now that he’ll start everyday plus I think he’s going to fit in well with that team
Why? He goes from no playing time to at least a full time gig for a month or two. After that, of his bat plays he goes back to playing OF poorly in the Braves lineup. He gets the opportunity to build a case for more money in his next contract as well.
A good move for the Braves in my eyes. They didn’t give up much either. And I’m not a Braves fan.
He makes millions of dollars. Don’t feel bad. Trust me, he doesn’t feel bad if you can’t pay the bills — as the similar old line from “A Bronx Tale” goes.
Mo is out of his mind Adams is all star caliber if he stays healthy and plays everyday
Can I also get the name of the pills you are currently on?
Right! Like what is this man talking about
Haha make that 2
What is “Ambien” for $1000, Alex?
So is Juan Yepez. Fair deal
Lmao you’re funny dude
What are y’all talking about? Did you not see the guy when the cards came to atl? the guy trimmed up a lot and looks like a solid athlete not to mention he crushed one when he came to atl a couple weeks back. I love it
He’s probably part of the group that spent last year on here arguing that the Cards could acquire Billy Hamilton or Blackmon for a package of Adams, Pham, and Peralta, or that Rosenthal should command a similar package to Chapman and Jamie Garcia was an ace-caliber pitcher.
They don’t realize that:
1) The problem is that Adams can NEVER stay healthy
2) From 2015-2016, he hit .246/.298/.436. That’s hardly a bench player.
3) He’s a career .210/.240/.348 hitter against lefties.
4) He’s almost 29 years old. He’s a 23rd round draft pick. Chances are he’s not going to “break out”.
5) He’s an awful defender
True except for the defense. He’s a perfectly cromulent first baseman. Should not be played anywhere else on the diamond.
1B : defense :: WR : blocking
I’m not going to say you’re wrong on your first paragraph, don’t know don’t care. However if you’re going to cherry pick data, Look at this then.
1- don’t care what he did with the Cards
2- from 2016-2017 he sits with 271/325/434/759 average- THAT is definitiely better than anything we’ve got sitting there now. Boni looking at you dude!
3- the current plan is to platoon him, however a different coach might make his numbers against lefties improve to something at least respectable
4- so what he’s almost 29, not alot of mileage there and he’s dropped weight
5- he current;y sports a 12 DRS in his career at 1B, so awful is a stretch considering he had the highest range factor in the league for 1B last year, so not exactly am amchor out there in the field.
6- Suntrust is showing LH hitters a lot to like about how balls get out in right field,
7- if he comes in and produces a 270/320/450 slash with how our park plays, we will consider that a win for a 19 yr old blocked 1B/3B.
8- Lastly every team has delusional fans who think they get can something for nothing, goes with the territory.
he also took kershaw and bumgardner deep
LMAO you’re silly.
If he was All-Star caliber, they wouldn’t have moved Matt Carpenter to 1B.
bo may know baseball, but mo don’t
Well the cards at least did something today
For Yoan Yepez
Wow hate to see him go but great pick up by the braves
Solid pick up for the Braves. Lefties are well served by the very short porch at SunTrust Park. Be nice to see Loney up to speed to help the bench, too.
This makes me very sad…
good luck Mr. Adams
Isn’t Luis Robert a first baseman???
Maybe the Cards are close to signing him??
he signed with the white sox I believe.
he signed with the white sox
not a cf
This is a good deal for the Braves.
What a great pickup. Solid at first base, great bat, and already has 2 homers at suntrust Park
Please explain your math. Adams has 1 HR on the season.
he’s psychic. has 2 hr’s now, both in atlanta.
Yep. 3 HR, all 3 in ATL. Lol
Good pickup for a value price.
Juan yepez is gonna be good
Saw that one coming. Once Freeman went down and they said they were looking at outside help I immediately thought of Adams being a fit.
They signed looney first
Coppy said if he thought the Adams deal would have gone through he wouldn’t have signed loney.
They shouldve thrown in Broxton.
And Peralta, and whatever cash it took.
Nice Juan Yepez write-up.
Seriously, any Braves fans have any info on this kid?
Tomahawk Take did a decent write-up on him during the offseason. Decent prospect with a good bat, but there’s questions about a position long-term, as well as trying to improve his batting even more. They’ve tried him out at 3B this year, but it looks like he hasn’t done too well so far, and there’s been a decent amount of talk that he’ll end up at first in the long term. He apparently has some power, but it hasn’t really shown up too much yet. Overall, someone who definitely has the potential to be in the majors, but if he can’t stick at third then he’ll have to bat his way through the minors. I think the Braves got the better end of the deal, but it’s definitely not like the Cards got someone worth a bag of balls in return.
Thanks. The Braves definitely had the upper hand in the negotiations here. Adams didn’t have a place on the Cards team so they really had no bargaining power. I’m kind of glad Adams is going to a team that’ll give him an everyday spot (at least until Freeman gets healthy).
Nice.
No could have picked up some pitching for out sorry bullpen but gets some high a ball kid we need help now! Great trade for ATL and get a lottery ticket for Adams ( Mo’s words not mine) or how bout a genuine 3b Gyrko killed us. No gloves except Wong in the infield and he can’t hit. We get some unknown Venezuelan a baller mo we need a NOW player anywhere in the infield you get a lottery ticket. Putz!
that’s about as good as you’re gonna get for Adams. Shouldn’t have let Lunhow leave to Houston. It’s becoming clearer each year he was the reason for STLs long run of success.
Well, crap. And then there was one.
Aside from my user name, though, better off for him in Atlanta.
I am stunned about this trade.Thank you for everything you did with the St Louis Cardinals.You were great. Let see if this player that we obtained becomes very good.
I’ve watched Yepez a lot. Um. Good luck.
Good day Jim Loney
i hope matt adams does well in atalanta. always liked him as a cardinal. so atlanta gets him and some money and we get an a baller in his 3rd season who is just an average a ball player, wtf? what is mo doing? i love my cardinals but its hard to be a fan right now. not to mention we come up just short again for another player( luis robert). always just alittle short, our new team motto. cant believe adams and 2 mil didnt get something better.
The cards gave him away it’s sad all they could get is low a filler I hope Adams tears it up
I truly agree with you! It’s been time to find a quality GM since 2013. Adams has been treated like a step child!!!!!
Good for ATL
Let it sink in Braves fans that they decided to DFA Recker, but kept Santana and Bonifacio. Seriously, at this rate, we should all throw a party when Bonifacio is released!
To be fair, Recker hasn’t really done that well either. But I definitely hope Bonifacio gets DFA’d and/or outright released soon.
Recker hasn’t had a chance this year. Served well as a backup last year. Recker was our Jake Taylor.
Because I’m lazy…Adams ever play any 3B?
Doesn’t look like it, but just about everything I’ve seen suggests that he shouldn’t play anything on the field other than 1B.
No, but it would not be a good idea. He might make Pedro Alvarez look competent if he tried it… and I like Adams and wouldn’t try to ridicule him unnecessarily. He’s a first baseman only.
Well that is a quick fix for the braves.. But what do the Braves do with Adams once Freeman is back? He’s got 2 years left before free agency. If he produces in the next 2 months maybe they flip him at the deadline for a better return to an AL team.
Pinch hit…then can choose to not tender a contract
I mean, I wasn’t a huge Matt Adams fan ever, but I don’t get this trade. Cards get a subpar minor leaguer and they lose one of their better bench players, while retaining Jhonny Peralta?? If you wanted to clear roster space, Peralta is a prime candidate, same with Grichuk. Pham is far better than Grichuk, about the same defensive ability, and Pham hits about twice as much as Grichuk. I don’t get it.
No one wants Peralta. They could let him walk and eat the money. I like Pham, but injured often, recurring eye problem, older than Grichuk.
I would be fine letting Peralta walk. He currently holds no value whatsoever, so why even have him clogging the bench. We’ve already paid part of his last year of salary, might as well pay the rest and send him off. I can name even more players readily available for trade/DFA than Adams.
We feel the same about Emilio Bonifacio.
Boni must have pics of coppy with some strippers at the cheetah.
cardinals should have traded carpenter, insread of adams
Amen Troll !!! I done know why, but at this stage, he seems like a fastly declining distracted liability for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals need to trade him now so they can get something out of him!!!!!!
So long Mr. Adams! Thanks for the service in StL
I think it’s a win for the braves. You give up a decent prospect for a proven guy in the league who has also worked hard to lose weight in order to be useable. I don’t know anything about the prospect but i do know that the braves can flip Adams at the deadline for something decent if he shows he can be a bench bat when Freeman gets back.
Great point Knox Christopher!!
I agree with your total paragraph!!
In comparison to Adams’s OF defense, Pete O’Brien’s defense gets rave reviews….
I don’t mind the trade of Adams. However, I do question what they got back, plus having to pay Atlanta too???? Tell me how this improved the Cardinals team? I know Matheney gets a lot of heat and deservingly so, but in his defense, he can only play the best of the players he has to work with. Mediocre play comes from mediocre players. Out of a 40 player roster, not on superstar! Not even a minor superstar. Thanks MO!!! Turn the GM’s job over Michael Girsch and the managers spot over to Oquendo. If those 2 had already been in place, the Cards would have had a much better chance of landing Robert!!!
Good value for the Braves. Kemp is on fire, and Phillips and Markakis are doing well along with Swanson and Inciarte. No one would have picked the Braves to beat Max Scherzer. Go the Braves.
Strange. Adams is a quality bench bat (and spot starter) right now, with a track record. The chances Yepez even becomes a quality bench bat himself, are incredibly slim. This is like trading a whole sandwich for the chance to get half a sandwich.
And the Cards are paying too?
This sucks so much for Freeman. Good thing hes young. A fractured wrist is not good. Derek Lee had this same issue and he was never the same. The difference was Lee wasn’t hit by a pitch. I think it was A-Rod who swatted hit glove to make him drop the ball. Matt Adams begins his role as a journeyman with the braves.