The Braves have worked out a trio of trades in the last week or so. To begin, Alex Anthopoulos swung deals for Pierce Johnson in exchange for a pair of prospects and Taylor Hearn, who only garnered cash considerations. Then, AA flipped Hearn for super utility piece Nicky Lopez, essentially acquiring him for only cash.
Lopez isn’t going to get many at-bats, but it’s hard look at this deal negatively for Atlanta. He’s under team control through 2025 and can provide elite defense at several positions.
On the other hand, Kansas City got rid of a fan favorite for a middling pitcher the club could’ve acquired last week for cash. It’s easy to see why the Braves and Royals are where they currently stand in baseball.
Rustin Dodd of The Athletic graded the deal, and it went exactly how you would think, “What are the Royals doing?”
Rustin Dodd: The Royals are stuck in baseball purgatory — their rebuild hasn’t launched and despite being more than 40 games under .500, they don’t have much to sell before the deadline. Reliever Scott Barlow has struggled this season. Salvador Pérez has a massive contract and “10-5” rights. One player who did have a modicum of value was infielder Nicky Lopez, a strong defender who posted a 3.8 bWAR (and 6.0 fWAR!) season in 2021 before his BABIP stabilized and his offensive numbers came back to earth.
Lopez was under club control through the 2025 season. The Royals do not appear close to contention. So the club traded him to the Braves for … reliever Taylor Hearn, a soon-to-be 29-year-old, who was just designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers earlier this month.
It’s a peculiar trade for the Royals. Not because Lopez had that much value. His stock clearly cratered after he posted a .567 OPS over the last two seasons. But instead of taking a flyer on a younger prospect in the minor leagues, the Royals are acquiring a lefty reliever with a 5.26 ERA in 229 1/3 career innings and two more years of club control, same as Lopez.
In the end, it’s not the kind of deal that will make or break the Royals, which says a lot about state of their club. The Royals are a team devoid of great options and instead of placing a long shot bet on a younger player, they will try to squeeze some value out of Hearn, who does have a big arm. Still, the Royals could have acquired him for cash a week ago, which is how he wound up on the Braves in the first place.
The Braves, meanwhile, acquire a utility player who can handle multiple positions on defense, offers solid contact skills and is a sunny presence in the clubhouse. You don’t want to give Lopez too many at-bats, but the Braves will not. For a reliever who they just claimed after he was DFA’d … not bad.
Royals: D+
Braves: B
This is how bad organizations stay bad. There’s no reality where this makes sense for the Royals. They could’ve had Hearn without giving up any desirable assets but decided to move a valuable piece of the club for a pitcher that was designated for assignment a short time ago.
Orlando Arcia was acquired in a similar deal. His defensive ability gives him a high floor, but his offense leaves something to be desired. Is it possible Lopez experiences a similar offensive boost within the Braves organization? I wouldn’t count it out.
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Photo: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
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