The Braves infamously decided to essentially stand pat at this year’s trade deadline. The only acquisition they made was Tommy Milione for two players to be named later. He went on to pitch just 9.2 innings in Atlanta, posting a gaudy 14.90 ERA before they decided to place him on the IL for the rest of the season.
Who knows? Had the Braves decided to do more at the deadline, perhaps they would have been the ones celebrating the NL Pennant and a trip to the World Series. However, that’s not the point of this article. Today, those two players to be named later in the Milone deal were released.
The Braves announced that they have sent infielders A.J. Graffanino and Greg Cullen to the Orioles.
The #Braves today sent INF AJ Graffanino and INF Greg Cullen to the Baltimore Orioles to complete the clubs’ August 29 trade in which Atlanta acquired LHP Tommy Milone.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 5, 2020
To be fair, Braves fans were going to be upset no matter who the Braves gave up, given Milone was so unproductive in Atlanta. However, these two guys aren’t nobodies.
Graffanino is a 23-year-old shortstop that is currently ranked 23rd in MLB.com’s Top 30 Braves prospects. The 23-year-old most recently hit .301 for Rome back in 2018.
Cullen isn’t ranked in Atlanta’s top 30 prospects, but he could prove to be an even bigger loss. In 2019, he hit .270 with nine homers in just 130 games for Rome.
We wish these two guys the best with their new team, but it sure will be a shame if either pan out to contribute much in the majors.
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