As Rangers arrive, we say: The Teixeira deal wasn’t that bad
Back in the day: Elvis Andrus as a Rome Brave.
The Texas Rangers arrive at Turner Field tonight for a three-game series, and no Braves fan will ever think of the Rangers as anything but the organization that remade itself by renting Mark Teixeira to the local team for a year.
Of the five prospects the Braves sent to Texas, three are big-league Rangers today. (A fourth, Jerrod Saltalamacchia, is Boston’s No. 1 catcher.)
Teixeira arrived in August 2007, played 157 games as a Brave and was traded to the Angels in July 2008 and signed with the Yankees — doesn’t everybody? — that winter.
For the Braves, the trade was a considered mistake. They knew what they were doing; it just didn’t work. Teixeira’s presence didn’t lift them above the Phillies in either of his partial seasons here. He wasn’t terrible. He was actually pretty darn good. But one year’s rental didn’t yield the desired result, and it came at great cost. That said …
The trade didn’t bankrupt the Braves’ farm system, which has gone on to produce Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman, with Julio Terehan waiting in Gwinnett. And the Braves will argue that the two key everyday players they shipped to Texas — Saltalamacchia and shortstop Elvis Andrus — were blocked in this organization. (Salty by Brian McCann, Andrus by Yunel Escobar, who was traded to Toronto last summer for Alex Gonzalez.)
Bottom line: The Rangers reached the World Series last season with Andrus as their shortstop and Neftali Feliz as their closer, but the Braves made the playoffs, too. As nice as it would be to have a lefthander like Matt Harrison in the rotation — he’ll start against the Braves on Saturday — the Braves’ problems haven’t been pitching. (There’s no question Andrus would be useful here, though. He’s 22. Gonzalez is 34.)
Neither party to the big trade has gone to seed. The Rangers are good. They lead the American League despite having lost their past five games. The Braves are good, too. They have the third-best record in the National League.
The Rangers got exactly what they wanted from the Tex deal and the Braves did not, which means the Rangers won the trade. But that doesn’t mean this was the worst deal in Atlanta annals. It wasn’t even close to being the worst. Len Barker for Brett Butler, Brook Jacoby and Rick Behenna and $150,000 — don’t forget the $150k! –will always be the worst. Always.
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167 comments Add your comment
Honestly
June 18th, 2011
9:53 pm
I have to laugh at your column after the performance today of the three players the Braves traded for Teixeira. Your argument fails to factor in the future losses that the Braves would incur. We are BARELY winning these days and the Rangers, thanks to three players that the Braves could surely use, are one of the best teams in baseball. Please don’t forget that Feliz was a starter and Andrus could play elsewhere or would have been nice to have once Escobar ended up sucking. It kind of sounds like you had nothing to write about but you had to produce something so you dropped this nugget on us. I would have preferred to read nothing at all.
daddydog
June 18th, 2011
10:33 pm
The reason the Butler/ Barker trade was the worst, is it wrecked a good season!
Sage of Bluesland
June 19th, 2011
12:20 am
Some of Bradley’s pitiful excuses over the years–for ALL local teams and their buffoonish GMs–from Babcock to Waddell to this spinning-gem on Schuerholz does make you wonder what and how he benefits for sucking up like he does….
Do the math, folks. There IS a very good reason for these neverending excuses–and lack of responsible journalism…
gcs
June 19th, 2011
12:52 am
Your recollection of Mark Teixeira’s time in Atlanta is different from mine. Yes, his stats were good, but I don’t recall him getting too many Fred McGriff-like BIG hits. Can anyone recall him getting any game-winning hits? Is there any video of him being mugged at home plate by Braves teammates? If there is, please fill us in.
He would hit a HR in a 8-2 game (either winning or losing) and make the highlight reel. But he rarely won games. I remember him failing in big spots many times.
Unequivocally, the worst Braves’ trade ever.
.
Pete*
June 19th, 2011
1:25 am
todd grantham: “Andy Messersmith second worst free agent signing. Second best was Fred McGriff.”
McGriff was not signed as free agent; he was acquired in a trade.
Buzz me
June 19th, 2011
8:57 am
Hey MARK, what are you smoking…the Tex deal was awful. They have three first line players and we dont have anything to show for it. BY the way…can I get some of whatever it is you are smoking…you are way out there
dap01
June 19th, 2011
9:31 am
It was a horrible trade and any justification of that trade is stupid. Texera abused us. Boras abused us. Schurholtz screwed up.
One of the worst trades ever.
dap01
June 19th, 2011
9:31 am
You should have written the column after this series.
HEY BRADLEY
June 19th, 2011
9:48 am
Dumbest article you’ve written in a long list titled “Bradleys dumbest pieces” (with that smug picture of yours on the back cover, you could easily sell four or five). To say that the braves weren’t utterly bent over in that trade is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Andrus alone makes it a flop, especially bc tex was just a rental, but throw in felix and harrison, and we looked like fools. Andrus would be tbde leadoff spark we need and be our shortstop for the next 10 years. Your point about salty was the only accurate one, there was no room for him. But consider our Kimbrel,Centers, Felz at the end of games… that would be best bullpen in history of the game. But hey, at least we rented that Techy need Texiera and got no pennents, your right, Bradley, the braves got a good deal. Your crazy Bradley and I hope you move to Winnipeg.
HEY BRADLEY
June 19th, 2011
9:50 am
**Felix
** the
** Centers
** pennants
HEY BRADLEY
June 19th, 2011
9:50 am
**FELIZ
ET
June 19th, 2011
10:02 am
This one trade undid every other good trade that Sureholdshiz (yes, it’s a play on a word) made in his career at Atl. We was used, abused, screwed & we losed… on this one. (Bad grammar intended)
james pittman
June 19th, 2011
10:33 am
the best trade ever made by the braves was doyle alexander for john smotlz, but the second best trade was a trade that was very unpopular at the time was dale murphy for pitcher jeff parrett and ss victor rosario of philadelphia, but it paved the way for a young brave named david justice to play everyday, and a first baseman named brian hunter. and we all know what happened next: in 1991 the atlanta braves went their first world series. followed by winning an unprecedented 14 straight division titles, but the climax of that trade came in 1995 when the braves won that world series 1-0 on a home run by david justice and great pitching by tommy glavine and mark wholers.
Keeping it Real
June 19th, 2011
11:44 am
Mr. Bradley: I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but this is, IMO, the dumbest column you have ever written. There is no way that you can look at that trade in hinesight and not think it was a horrible trade for the Braves. Just imagine having Feliz, Andrus, Harrison, and Saltalamachia either on the team or traded for real value. I really can’t believe that you really believe what you wrote.
John3:3
June 20th, 2011
7:38 am
No amount of spin can change how bad that trade was.
Shug
June 21st, 2011
9:59 am
Worst trade: Torre for Cepeda.
joemoedee
June 23rd, 2011
12:24 pm
Tex was solid when he was here, but you can’t neglect the SECOND Tex trade to Anaheim for… Steve Marek and Casey Kotchmann.
The initial move was risky. The second move would make the Pirates GM say “Wow, that’s a bad move”.
I can’t see how anyone could say trading away 4 major league players and ultimately getting a AAA reliever is anything but a terrible series of trades.