In the first trade of the 2022-23 off-season, the Braves have acquired outfielder Sam Hilliard from Colorado, per an official announcement from the Rockies. Minor league pitcher Dylan Spain is heading back to the Rockies in the deal.
Hilliard, 28, hit .184/.280/.264 with two home runs across 200 plate appearances for the Rockies in 2022. He went much better at their Triple-A affiliate, slashing .308/.405/.669 with 13 home runs. While he’s never really hit at the major league level, his performance in 2022 was someway below his career line of .212/.294/.423 as he’s generally shown more power in the bigs than he showed this season. He did appear at all three outfield positions, but spent most of his time in left where he was worth ten Defensive Runs Saved across 377 innings.
Spain was a tenth round pick for the Braves in the 2021 draft. He spent all of 2022 at their High-A affiliate, tossing 56 innings of 5.30 ERA ball across 36 appearances, most of which came out of the bullpen. The 24-year-old struck out batters 24.7% of the time and walked 5.3%. He struggled a fair bit with the long ball, giving up 11 home runs.
For the Rockies, the trade clears a spot on the 40-man roster, which now stands at 37 players. For the Braves, they get a depth outfielder who could compete for a roster spot in spring training. Hilliard is out of options, but his form at Triple-A shows there’s enough upside for the Braves to give him a shot to potentially land on their bench in 2023.
YES! This means they are shopping Acuna.
In what way does picking up a 29 year old 5th OF mean they are shopping Acuna?
I don’t know, but i know i caught a fish with that hook.
You also got muted.
There is a line. Gotta wait for your turn.
I’m pretty sure he’s being sarcastic.
That’s hilarious. But we’ll take him off your hands up here in Seattle!!
Sure.
Kirby, Gilbert, Lewis, Frazier, and Trammell will probably do it. The Braves are always content with homeboys.
Adam Frazier is a FA
You don’t know your LF from your RF, aye?
Lol stop
You are right. Seattle is not in position to ruin their team’s chemistry with Acuna in the fold. They will decline that trade.
Yikes, lol. Think it would be a better use of your time focusing on “Trade Ozuna and Rosario” scenarios.
I wanted Ozuna gone before it was cool to want Ozuna gone.
However, I can’t hate on Rosario. Without him, the Braves were going to lose in the CS in ’21. While Rosario was winning games and getting big hits, Acuna was at home planning out what HR celebrations he can bring for his abbreviated ’22 season.
While Rosario was playing so badly for the Indians in 2021 that they traded him to the Braves for literally nothing (Panda), Acuna was carrying the Braves in the 1st half of 21 before his season ending injury. I liked 2021 Eddie in the playoffs too, but I don’t want to live in the past. Trading him—and Ozuna—-for whatever the Braves can get would be a relief. Go ahead and try to prove that Rosario was more valuable than a rehabbing Acuna in 2022. Hint: Don’t bother. Rosario was brutally bad. His 61 WRc+ and -1.1 fwar in his “abbreviated 22 season” rank him as one of the worst players in MLB. Acuna’s 157 wRC+ and 4.3 fwar in his 82 first half games in 2021 were more valuable than Rosario’s admittedly excellent post season. The Braves would have been totally out of the race in 2021 w/out Acuna’s 1st half brilliance. AA wouldn’t have even bothered to make those deadline trades because the Braves wouldn’t have been w/in remote striking distance of a playoff spot.
Again, the problem with Acuna defenders is you nitpick everything in order to validate your point on Acuna being valuable to the team. While Acuna carried the Braves during the regular season, Rosario carried the Braves offense when it mattered most, helping them detrone the Dodgers almost single handedly. Rosario was more valuable to the Braves WS run than Acuna’s first half.
Besides, if Rosario is traded or released, whatever. I won’t lose sleep over it given as you said, he was garbage in ’22. With that being said, he is not owed a lot of money nor has years in his contracts, so i don’t think it is important to address him.
The “problem” w/Acuna detractors is they can’t see past their dislike of him to consider factual evidence of his obvious value. If you really believe that using facts to provide evidence of a player’s value is “nitpicking,” your confusion over Acuna’s worth is less strange. Btw, I didn’t say Rosario “was garbage in 22.” I said he “was brutally bad” and that his poor numbers “rank him as one of the worst players in MLB.” I like Eddie. I wouldn’t denigrate him by calling him “garbage.” I only used those pesky facts to show evidence of his poor results this past season. The least you can do is quote me correctly.
All of Acuna’s implied value was wiped away once the Braves won the WS without him. With him, they ware 0-4 with 3 of those losses in the DS.
Oh no worries, I wasn’t actually implying you were calling Rosario garbage. I was calling him garbage because well.. he was in ’22. Poor phrasing on my part. I’m sure Rosario will wipe his tears with his millions and forgive us for calling him names.
Lol. Those millions can sop up a lot of tears.
Do yourself a favour a just mute that simpleton.
How anyone could argue Rosario was more valuable than Acuna is beyond me.
Without Acuna 1st half the braves don’t make the playoffs rending Rosario 5 game stretch of good games completely irrelevant because without Acuna he’s not even playing in October. End of debate. Acuna > Rosario
While you assume the Braves were not going to make the playoffs w/o Acuna’s first half, I’ll live in reality and argue what the world actually saw…and that was Rosario carrying the Braves offense in the CS. I also remember the hate when I kept insisting the Braves start Soler over Duvall, Soler ended up winning the WS MVP. The memories.
Lets just hope Acuna actually ends up a superstar. Would be quite embarrassing and disappointing if he ends up flopping. In my case, if he rocks, great, that means the Braves are better off. If he continues to disappoint, well then I told you so. I’m rooting for the former, but expect the latter.
I’m not sure how anybody can possibly speculate that when ATL was limping along the first half with a .481 winning % entering July
@ metslv: We were talking about the first half of the 2021 season. Acuna’s 4.2 fwar in the 82 games he played in the first half of that season (before his season ending knee injury) kept the Braves alive while Freeman and most of the rest of the lineup was underperforming. W/out him the Braves probably would have been out of contention.
Why trade Acuna? Coaches and teammates can influence attitude, but no one can teach the raw talent Acuna has. He’s still very young. Could be 40-40 and a GGer with the right mentoring.
The last time Acuna got mentoring, people were trashing Freeman and Snitker for being mean to Acuna.
I used to think you were crazy. Acuna has talent but I would trade him for a haul.
He doesn’t even have an attitude.
Lol no.
Say what you want, but it isn’t easy to hit .184/.280/.264 with two home runs in Colorado.
Not the blockbuster we all wished for, to get the off season rolling.
The rain in Spain gets traded to the Braves.
Can I comment finally?
No
This guy can mash and is an absolute beast. Needed a change of scenery, hope the best for him! Tore it up in the minors, hopefully he can recapture some of that swat again (plus his mom is hot, was a finalist for Miss America in the early 80’s!)
You had me at “hot mom”. Welcome to Atlanta, Sam!
Early 80? She’s in hot grandma territory.
Sam is Christian Pache without the great defense.
But Sam’s mom was Miss Texas 1984, so he edges out Pache for my pick out of both of them!
Braves bring in a below average outfielder? Shocker…
I see we have no intentions of ever actually addressing that corner outfield spot appropriately
The season literally ended less than 24 hours ago can you stfu and relax. It’s a depth move lmao
Yeah I knew this would be the response to my comment. The denial responses right on cue.
It’s a depth piece to go right alongside Adam Duvall or Eddie Rosario again. If you actually think this is addressing the corner outfield problem I got some bad news
What exactly do you think this move signals? Or does your brain not have that capacity to think that far ahead?
MJ, what are you worried about? Ozuna will take care of left field, while Acuna will take care of right. By taking care, I mean them leaving their footprints on the grass, while their eyes are fixated on CF because Harris will be doing everything in the outfield.
Ozuna made 52 appearances in LF last season. *Clearly* that’s the plan. Whenever a team puts a guy in the field only because they have to it always suggests they tend on starting them in the field for 162 games the following year. Baseball is just littered with examples of this.
I have a serious question though- if Dansby goes to LA, would you? It may almost be worth the hole at SS…
Probably not but considering they will be terrible defensively in every position other than 2nd, CF, 3rd, and first, I don’t think even you would want to watch this team sink to the ground.
You do realize Travis d’Arnaud was a Gold Glove finalist and doesn’t play 1B, 2B, 3B or CF… or no?
So if we ignore your irrational hate for Acuna Jr and unawareness of who Travis is, the Braves would be terrible in every position except most of them? That makes total sense.
Try digging up.
Not terrible defensively at catcher. D’Arnaud’s average (or a bit better.) If Pina’s on the roster next season, he’ll provide plus defensive value. Contreras is improving. Definitely wouldn’t rate his defense as “terrible.’
He was? Good for him. I like Travis a lot and glad he apparently did well this season defensively. Hope he continues.
I love Austin but his defense at 3B is average at best. I think he can get better but there have always been questions about his defense and if he’d have to move to 1st at some point. So now you’re wrong about 2 positions. If I didn’t know any better I’d think you just troll this to get a rse out of people.
If there is a problem with Riley, it is definitely not his defense. He is fine and not a problem at all.
Riley’s problem is his streakiness. He has his moments, then sinks back down like he did towards the end of the season.
Isn’t FA supposed to start 6 days after the WS
Trades are different than free agency
Off-season is here boys
Better kick off to the off season than the Jets had in their game today.
Never heard of him.
Strikes out often (mid 30% of at bats). Looks like the Rockies were shopping him? Atlanta takes a flyer and offers a pitcher that’s way down their prospect list? The Rockies agree to deal.
Not sure if he’s an arb guy or not, regardless, picture him as a depth piece playing time spent in AAA.
He’s also on his last option this year and cannot hit high heat at ALL. So he either learns how to do that or he’ll be a nice center fielder for your AAA team for a year before moving on. Rox were about to release him (or put him on waivers, or whatever it is you do in the off-season).
@C Yards Jeff: Won’t be playing at AAA unless he makes it through waivers. He’s out of options.
@NJeff; thanks for the intel. Even though true, I betcha he clears waivers. Gut says the Rockies let the league know he was available. This deal was the best they could get? In other words, other than Atlanta, the rest of MLB showed little interest? Maybe? Dude strikes out a ton!
Ah, thought he had one left. Then yeah, this was a no-brainer for the Rockies and a small head scratcher for the Braves. He’s not likely to make either team unless the Braves see something they think they can fix.
Who? Lifetime .212 hitter? Why?
Easy, cheap depth
@Zkirton: Fits the Braves profile. Huge raw power, top 90% in speed. Swings and misses at too much in the zone, but seems the Braves like him as a value play and don’t mind dealing a pitcher (Spain) who’ll probably be a mil FA before he makes the 40 man roster. Hilliard’s got a lot to fix though. Only 8 other players that got 200+ ab’s in 2022 swung and missed at more pitches in the zone. Maybe the Braves can help him improve his contact enough to lower his K rate to an acceptable level somewhere in the mid 20’s. Possible they prefer Hilliard’s upside as a platoon of’er w/power instead of re-signing Duvall. Both players w/power and can’t hit breaking balls but Hilliard’s 6 years younger. Also possible they re-sign Duvall to platoon w/Hilliard in lf and find a way to dump Ozuna and Rosario.
Hilliard is a plus-plus defensive outfielder who can play a solid CF too. May have value for the Braves as a late inning guy who can also pop a few 450 feet when he makes contact. Certainly more than for the Rockies, who are trying to give as much playing time as possible to their numerous young OFers, with more on the way.
@seam: Good to know on his defense. The Braves need a better option than Heredia as Harris II’s backup in cf. Hilliard’s plus speed suggests he’ll provide solid base running value too. Good mil stolen base totals.
Rockies already making room to sign Nimmo lol.
Hopefully not…hopefully just clearing up the already logjammed outfield picture
It’s the Rockies. They honestly think they’ll win the division next year and make a bunch of weird ass moves.
Yeah it’s silly of them to actually try to win every year. They should do like other teams and basically steal fans money while not trying at all.
They likely see potential in him the same way they did Rosario and Soler when no one else did. Nothing guaranteed but worth working with him to see if they can get the max out of him. If he scouted well and the deal is good why not?
Wow, can’t believe they chose this guy over Edwin Diaz
That’s more than I thought the Rox would get for Hilliard. I figured he would be released for Japan or Korea. Of course a 24 year old with an ERA over 5 in high A is not exactly a great return either.
He had a zero ERA in ’21!
In 17 innings. His ERA was over 5 with a more realistic sample of 56 innings in 2022.
Hey I’ll take 17 innings of shut down ball. Beggars can’t be choosers if you’re a Rockies fan.
Fair point. But as much as Bud Black overuses hot relievers, they tend to crash to Earth quickly. Much like Alex Colome last summer. Tyler Kinley probably would have as well had he not gotten hurt.
Well, I’ve never been to Spain.
But I kind of like the music.
Unfortunately, if you search him on Youtube you get a bunch of concert footage of Dylan in Barcelona.
Don’t know bout that move , somebody got some Spaining to do
Smart low risk move for a young guy with 25 homer potential if not more
Little shocked this move gathered so many comments… this is a non-issue, not worth discussing type deal
It’s trade season.
Well every braves post has that tradeacunaimavirgininreallife guy who has to comment.
Cmon how old are you? I guess the “virgin” jokes are still a thing is school children today.
This.
Every time any team adds a depth piece people comment “wHy dId tHe tEam adD thiS gUy hE suCkZ.” It’s like nobody has heard of depth and minor league pieces.”
Because fans don’t understand baseball teams are made up of like 50 something guys. 40 man roster plus quad A guys. Fans wouldn’t have the slightest clue as to how to run a baseball team.
True, I’m no expert on running a team either but I understand that much.
As a Rox fan, he makes Gallo look like a contact hitter.
@Arnold Ziffel: As a Braves fan I was depressed by your Rox fan inside knowledge on Hilliard, but then I thought——– wth am I doing letting a tv watching pig inform me on Hilliard’s value?!?!
Decent replacement for Grossman and/or Rosario if they can trade him
Getting rid of the shift is going to have a greater positive impact for left-handed hitters, & the players most affected by the shift should be in for better production. For example, imagine if Brian McCann could have never been shifted against…
At least Sam Hilliard seems like a good team chemistry guy. Lost his father recently to ALS. I imagine he will make the roster since he’s out of options.
People yawn about this deal but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him make the Braves roster and contribute. Maybe 10-15 homers off the bench.
Basically the LH version of Travis Demeritte.
Depth move? Time to freak out!!!!
Off subject but MLBTR hasn’t posted yet about The HOF Contemporary Era Ballot taking up 8 players to be voted on 12-8-22. 3 known cheaters and a couple deserving guys like McGriff/Schilling who were both robbed by the writers. On a interesting note Kenny Lofton was not included on the ballot and his numbers are very comparable to Tim Raines…