*Photo from The Athletic*
There's a popular saying out there that goes "as one door closes, another one opens," and I think that is very applicable in this situation. The Atlanta Braves have acquired 1B Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for OF Cristian Pache, C Shea Langeliers, RHP Ryan Cusick, and RHP Joey Estes, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Both teams have confirmed the trade.
With the Atlanta native Olson now joining the Braves, this officially closes the door of Freddie Freeman returning. But this is no downgrade. Olson is multiple years younger than Freeman, as he is soon to be 28, and has posted numbers very comparable to Freeman in his career. Olson is also under control through the 2023 season.
Olson graduated from Parkview High School in Atlanta in 2012, and he was then selected by the Athletics with the 47th overall pick in that year's draft. It was on the west coast where Olson developed into a top tier first baseman, and now, he's on his way back home.
Last season, Olson earned his first all star game selection with fantastic numbers for the A's. Olson had a .271 batting average with a .911 OPS, slugging .540 and hitting 39 home runs, with 111 RBI's, adding another 35 doubles for the 3rd place A's, playing in 156 games in his 6th major league season.
Since debuting near the end of the 2016 season, Olson has put together a strong 6 season career, possessing a .252 batting average with an .859 OPS, mashing 142 home runs to go with 373 RBI's, playing in 575 regular season games. In 9 career playoff games, Olson has two home runs and 3 RBI's in 36 plate appearances.
Olson, who is projected to earn $12 million in arbitration this season, is also a strong defender at first base, the opposite side of the hot corner. He has two gold gloves to show for it, and finished last season ranked 3rd among first baseman in DRS, committing just 6 errors in the field as well.
Pache, who is the Braves top prospect, debuted in 2020 and has one home run and 4 RBI's in 24 big league games. Most of the season he was at Triple A Gwinnett, where he has 67 stolen bases in 517 minor league games. He is projected to be a perennial gold glove winner in coming seasons, and has a chance to crack the big league roster in Oakland sooner rather than later.
Langeliers was the Braves second ranked prospect, and was chosen in the first round of the 2019 draft. Split between Double A Mississippi and Triple A Gwinnett last season, Langeliers hit .256 with 22 home runs in 97 games. He won the Hank Aaron award as the Braves minor league position player of the year in 2021.
The two pitchers, Cusick and Estes, were first and 16th round selections respectively, with Cusick drafted in 2021, and Estes in 2019. Both players played for Low A Augusta in 2021, with Estes leading the east division in ERA, and Cusick ranked as the 9th overall Braves prospect.
In Atlanta, Olson becomes the first baseman to replace Freeman, while the A's get 4 great prospects to work with as they sell off more and more pieces, beginning a rebuild.
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