The Braves pick up a couple of reclamation projects – one of which, Bourn, played for them previously – and some cash relief to make gambles on them a bit more palatable.
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With the deal finally completed, the season-long saga between Chris Johnson and the Braves is finally over. The centerfielder has hit only.246/.313/.294 in 95 games with Cleveland this year, and is owed $14 million for next year with a $12 million vesting option for 2017 kicking in if he reaches 550 plate appearances in 2016.
As things stand, the Braves are committed to just $54.6 million in salaries for the 2017 season, with Freeman’s $20.5 million being a huge chunk of it.
Swisher signed with the Indians in 2012 to a 4-year, $56 million dollar contract.
Just when I thought that John Hart couldn’t possibly do anything dumber than pulling off that head-scratching deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Miami Marlins, he went out of his way and totally redeemed himself! 280 with 57 home runs and 308 RBI across seven Major League seasons with Arizona and Atlanta. Atlanta will also receive more than $10 million in cash considerations in the deal, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo!
Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline was July 31, but players can still be moved with the waiver system (here’s an explanation and a suggestion of change to that process). Swisher is under contract for $15 million both this season and next, with a similar $14 million vesting option in 2017.
Swisher, 34, is now on the disabled list and is in the midst of his second disappointing season with the Indians.
The 30-year-old Johnson, who the Braves have been trying to trade for about a year now, was batting. Cleveland is excited to get rid of two bad contracts and start fresh next season. He was dropped from the leadoff spot shortly into the season, and though he has begun to turn it around at the plate, the two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award victor is batting. 228 in his time with the Indians with just 32 home runs and 113 runs batted in 272 games. Bourn and Swisher don’t fit that.
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All in all, we’re not quite sure what to make of it. The Braves appear to be setting themselves up for contention in 2017, and the move helps them do that. He has a club option for 2018, and it seems unlikely that will be picked up unless he experiences a rebirth with his new team.
