According to Jon Heyman, the Braves have a deal for Kevin Gausman.
sources: braves have deal for gausman
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2018
Source: #Braves sending Encarnacion, Cumberland, Phillips and Zimmerman to #Orioles for Gausman and Darren O’Day.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2018
It is hard to gauge this deal, but when you consider that Kevin Gausman’s numbers are comparable to Chris Archer’s, it is not a bad deal considering Pittsburgh just gave up the farm for him.
Braves fans will hope that the Braves can tap into Gausman’s unrealized potential, much like Jake Arrieta did years ago. This may be wishful thinking, but Orioles fans have seen his flashes of great potential.
The Braves will also be adding Darren O’Day, who will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury but could be a great addition to the bullpen in 2019.
As far as the return for Baltimore, Cumberland has been a bit of a disappointment since being drafted, but still has some time to figure things out as a hitting-first catcher. Seeing Encarnacion, Phillips, and Zimmermann is a tough pill to swallow, as they had started to establish themselves within the Braves farm system. However, none of these guys are headliner prospects, and the Braves in no way “overpaid” here. This seems to be a pretty fair price for the Braves.