The Braves added infield depth on Monday night, acquiring shortstop Nick Allen from the Athletics. Atlanta sent minor league reliever Jared Johnson back in a one-for-one swap. The acquisition pushes Atlanta’s 40-man roster count to 38.
Allen has exhausted his option seasons, which likely motivated this move. Going forward, he needs to either be on an active roster or else removed from the 40-man entirely. All teams are going to be soon facing roster crunches, as the Rule 5 protection deadline is just over a week away.
As a prospect, Allen got plenty of attention for his glovework. The question was whether or not he would hit. He certainly hasn’t produced with the bat at the major league level thus far, as he currently sports a line of .209/.254/.283 in his 760 plate appearances. He has received strong reviews for his shortstop defense, also spending some time at second and third base, but that offensive production translates to a wRC+ of just 53.
The results in the minors have been far more encouraging. Over the past two years, Allen has stepped to the plate 541 times at the Triple-A level, turning in a .341/.428/.503 batting line. The former third-round pick doesn’t need to hit much to be a viable utility option given the strength of his glove. His Triple-A numbers are surely inflated by the hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League, but they offer hope that there’s a little more potential with the bat than he’s shown in the majors.
Allen has bottom-of-the-scale power. Even his big production in the minors has come with just 12 home runs in nearly 200 games. He has solid bat-to-ball skills, making contact at a higher than average rate in both Triple-A and the majors. Allen walked more often than he struck out this year in Triple-A. The Braves have acquired similar players, Nicky Lopez and David Fletcher, in recent seasons. Neither spent much time on the MLB roster.
The 26-year-old Allen could have a better opportunity to stick around. Orlando Arcia had a dreadful offensive year in his own right, hitting .218/.271/.354 across 602 plate appearances. That’s still better than what Allen has shown in his major league career, but Arcia’s hold on the position probably isn’t strong. Atlanta should remain in the market for clearer upgrades.
From an A’s perspective, they’re moving on from a player who once ranked among the better position player talents in the system. That’s disappointing but not surprising given Allen’s lackluster production to date. They’re hopeful that Jacob Wilson is the long-term answer at shortstop, while Darell Hernaiz had also surpassed Allen on the infield depth chart.
Johnson, 23, spent this past season in High-A. He had a nice year in the later innings, turning in a 2.60 ERA across 52 frames. The former 14th-round pick fanned 26.4% of opponents but walked nearly 12% of batters faced. He’s a lottery ticket bullpen piece who will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft unless the A’s add him to their 40-man roster next week.
Image courtesy of Imagn.
julyn82001
I liked Nick. His defensive skill were there always. His bat? Not while with the A’s. Perhaps a change of scenery is all he needs to get his hitting going.
TheGr8One
5’8 and 166 pounds
This kid is gonna mash post puberty
rct
Altuve is 5’6″ and 167 lbs and has 229 HR and over 50 WAR. Always the weakest losers that rip on people for being too small.
TheGr8One
Don’t worry you’ll lose that anger post puberty
Dodgerfan34
Lol!!! Funniest thing I’ve read all day. Thanks for the good laugh.
vtadave
You seem to be obsessed with pre-puberty individuals.
TheGr8One
You took time out both our days for that?
Bart Harley Jarvis
@TheGr8One,
Filthy stuff. Well done, sir!
slowcurve
Mookie is 5’ 9” 180… Ozzie Albies is 5’ 8” 165… list goes on.
HalosHeavenJJ
I’ve always thought shorter guys have a bit of an advantage in the form of a smaller strike zone.
Rickey Henderson crouched and turned his into a postage stamp.
TheGr8One
Rickey was the OG back that ass up. Rickey was backin that ass up in his stance long before backin that ass up was cool.
Smacky
And Aaron Judge & Ohtani are monsters.
BlooperDisbeliever
Cold
thebirds
This just means Ozuna is out for the year. Great replacement!
davidk1979
Blockbuster!
braveshomer
Guess this means Adames is off the board for the Braves smh
KC42
I mean i get the depth piece, but trading a 23 year old reliever who posted fair numbers the past 2 years for a defensive SS who has a lifetime 55 OPS is questionable. Not sure what AA’s hoping to accomplish while taking away a 40 man spot
C Yards Jeff
I know. True he’s in lower minors but that SO9 is healthy even after some kinda season long injury in 22. That said; in AA we trust.
UGA_Steve
AA has made some nice moves, but his love affair with sub-par hitting, slightly above average defenders is getting stale.
SalaryCapMyth
His fair numbers these last two seasons were all under AA ball. Start looking at numbers before that and they don’t look so good.
NashvilleJeff
@KC42: As a 2019 14th round draft choice w/6 seasons in the Braves system, Johnson’s eligible for the Rule 5 Draft next month. Maybe AA thought that getting a depth SS for the upper minors made Johnson a reasonable trade piece. The Braves have zero depth of any defensive proficiency at SS in AA and AAA. Does seem a bit strange that AA dealt for a player who fit the depth criteria but doesn’t have any options left.
C Yards Jeff
@NJeff. So Johnson put the squeeze on AA? Not good enough to make the 40 but more than likely gets swooped up in R5 draft. I betcha A’s Forst saw this before every other GM saw it and reached out before the heard did … and initiated this; not the other way around.
NashvilleJeff
@C Yards: It’s possible that Forst did what you suggest, but this is also a typical AA move. He thins out the ML roster on non-tenders and the minors from possible Rule 5 losses via off season trades on a regular basis.
pt57
Isn’t Allen out if option?
NashvilleJeff
@pt57: Allen is out of options. Mentioned that in the last sentence of my initial post……”a player who fit the depth criteria but doesn’t have any options left.”
stymeedone
Maybe AA is hoping for better defense at SS?
cbraves
Another move for a not so good depth piece
Philly A's
Maybe the A’s finally got one over the Braves!
Nah.
metsin4
News Flash, you lost the Murphy trade.
Johnny Vander Meer
That is 100% correct. However, I don’t think it has worked out as the Braves would have liked it to.
DarkSide830
Milwaukee won the Murphy trade, hands down.
braveshomer
Yeah they did..hard for me to argue that
bwmiller79
A’s got the best player in Ruiz, hasnt panned out yet but I’d give it a couple more seasons, knee injury is scary given that his game relies so much on his wheels, but he can hit, plays a great center field and if his knee is 100%, he should lead the AL in swipes. A’s shouldn’t have given up on Muller, maybe they can resign him in FA, and if Royber Salinas somehow finds a way to cut the walks in half, he will be dominant. Great trade for the A’s.
NashvilleJeff
@bwmiller79: The A’s lost Salinas to—of all teams—the Braves on a waiver claim last week.
GarryHarris
I rated Ruiz as the worst defensive CF for 2023.
CaptainSportfish
Contreras was the #1 catcher in mlb – best war and wrc+ in 2024….. Ruiz was not the best player in the deal….. not even close
Philly A's
@mets..Um, you missed the joke…but you’re a mets fan so….
Maddog Jameson
They might be using him as an extra player in an upcoming trade. It wouldn’t be the first time.
bhambrave
They might be trading Arcia, and needed a defense-first backup.
bwmiller79
that would be a mistake, Arcia was pretty clutch down the stretch for the Braves, listened to Braves games all summer, he had some big hits for that team and was a big reason they made the playoffs, great glove at SS, I know SS has become a premium position for getting offensive production but it makes no difference where your hits come from, somebody has to hit 8th, somebody has to hit 9th, Arcia is a better hitter than those numbers give him credit for and is well suited for the 8 hole on any team in MLB. Cant stack a roster 1-9 with all star caliber offense, I’d take Arcia off the Brave’s hands, he is a top flight SS.
bhambrave
I agree with you. He’s only costing $2M, and plays great defense. I’d like to see him try to hit for contact more rather than swinging for the fences, but he’s more than adequate. They need to solve LF before SS.
SalaryCapMyth
Arcia was not clutch down the stretch. He had two good months in July and August. Lots of ball players have a good couple months and it’s not like those months of OPS at 750 and 755 is exactly ripping the ball off the cover. Additionally, July was the month he had the least PA of the season. Making your argument look even worse is that he was terrible in September.
GarryHarris
Orlando Arcia for Javier Baez.
metsin4
Do you think he’s the missing piece teams are looking for to complete a trade?
Unclemike1525
I thought he was dead.
Larry Brown's crank
i looked up his stats…..351 lifetime homers! .292 average. probably a d.h. at this point.
Pads Fans
“We are not moving MLB players for prospects”; David Forst 1 week ago.
Today. A’s move MLB player for prospects. A bad one, but a MLB player.
UGA_Steve
I seriously dount anyone who still roots for the A’s will have a problem with this trade.
Pads Fans
Whoosh.
Asfan0780
Most A’s fans are aware of that lol. All their rebuild trades were trash. Montas trade ended up a lose-lose for both teams. But I guess JP sears at least eats up innings and the other two pitchers ended up injured. Bleday- AJ puk trade worked out though.
Outfieldflyrule??
Yes, the Braves lost the Murphy trade…but not to the A’s. Brewers made out like bandits.
Steinbrenner2728
I really do think we need to “rethink the Athletics”
This one belongs to the Reds
We haven’t thought about them since that Moneyball movie.
baseballteam
Wander Franco
Rsox
Wilson looks solid and Scheumann got off to a decent start until the league figured him out. At the very least the A’s dealt from a position of depth but probably more valuable is they freed up a 40 man roster spot while getting something in return
stymeedone
Except they need to put him on the 40 or risk losing what they just acquired.
billw-2
Shea Langeliers hit 29 homers in 2024, so did Matt Olson 😉 He’s also 26, and cost the A’s 745K
Big Red Machine
Checks notes – Matt Olson didn’t play for the “Oakland” Athletics this year, and if he did, this comment still doesn’t make sense to me.
Big Red Machine
Is this just a random flex that a catcher for the A’s hit as many homeruns as a first baseman for the Braves? And this note has nothing to do with one of the most insignificant trades we have seen in a long time?
HalosHeavenJJ
I like trades like this because every now and then one guy lives up to his potential with a new club
Longtimecoming
I need to change my Ha-Seong Kim prediction now!
BlooperDisbeliever
He plays with a lot of heart. Maybe they can unlock something?
Larry Brown's crank
His heart belongs to his lovely bride…Savannah………..Bret Boones daughter.
Big Red Machine
I’m absolutely stunned that this is true. A+ comment.
Citizen1
Might as well sign andrelton simmons
This one belongs to the Reds
Now if they acquired Mel Allen (or Dick), that would be a story!
Bart Harley Jarvis
You need to amend your statement to say … “acquired the remains of Mel…”
Larry Brown's crank
Ill never forget when he got into that horrible car accident! He had to learn how to play the drums with only one arm……
Big Red Machine
Unbiased Reds fan: What in the world do the Braves get out of this?
NashvilleJeff
@Big Red: The Braves have absolutely no depth at SS in the upper minors. Whether he can hit or not, unlike the current wastes of roster space in AA and AAA, Allen can at least provide ML quality defense at the position.
jbigz12
Allen can’t go to AAA though. Out of options
bravesfan1970
Agreed