Adam Duvall has officially been traded to the Atlanta Braves. Duvall is the main name of a four player trade that includes Lucas Sims, Matt Wisler, and Preston Tucker. Duvall heads to the Braves as a versatile power hitter and will provide a solid right handed option in the lineup, something the Braves have not had since the beginning of 2017 with Matt Kemp.
Duvall, two years removed from being an All-Star, is batting a less-than-stellar .205/.286/.399 during the 2018 season. Though his batting stats are down this year, he already has hit 15 home runs on the year, which puts him in third on the Braves for home runs (trailing Ozzie Albies with 20 and Freddie Freeman with 17). This added RH power gives the Braves some added lineup flexibility against left handed pitchers. An added bonus to Duvall is his controllability. Duvall is arb-eligible beginning this offseason and is set to become a FA in 2022. If the Braves and Nick Markakis end up parting ways after the 2018 season, they could extend Duvall and have a solid power-hitting corner outfielder for a few years.
Sims is considered the main piece the Braves are parting with in this trade. The former 2012 first-round pick for Atlanta has pitched in six games for the Braves during the 2018 season. Sims has spent most of his 2018 season traveling between AAA Gwinnett and MLB Atlanta. He has given up nine earned runs over only 10.1 IP for Atlanta this season, but has had better production for AAA Gwinnett with only 23 earned runs over 73 IP. Sims has shown a tendency to give up more home runs than most pitchers do in the past few years, so pitching in the Great American Ballpark will be an interesting change of pace for him. He could end up seeing some rotation time as early as 2019 for the Reds.
Wisler is a prospect that has needed a change in scenery for a while in the Braves organization. Originally acquired in the massive Craig Kimbrel deal in 2015, he made his Major League debut in June of that year. He has been a hot-and-cold pitcher for the Braves, going over eight innings in some starts to having almost a 9.49 ERA during the month of August in 2015. As of lately, Wisler has done well as a long reliever and spot starter in 2018, and has supported a 7.1 SO9 in 2018, the best of his career.
Tucker was acquired by the Braves in December of 2017 for cash considerations. At the time, he was merely seen as a placeholder until the Braves would eventually call up superstar prospect Ronald Acuña Jr., and began the 2018 campaign with a solid .238/.279/.460 in April. When the Braves called up Acuña, Tucker was delegated to a bench role, and eventually was optioned to AAA Gwinnett. For the Reds, Tucker will provide a solid back-up outfielder that could see some playing time with Jesse Winker on the DL.
All in all, each team ended up with a solid haul for this trade. The Reds managed to secure solid pitching and outfield depth and the Braves secured a solid and versatile power hitter for their bench. With the talented pitching arms the Braves have coming up quickly in their farm system, this trade fits them well and allows them to open a few 40-man roster spots for some new names, such as Kolby Allard (set to make his Major League debut against the Miami Marlins on July 31st) and Touki Toussaint (possible September call-up depth).
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