MY TAKE ON THE RENTERIA TRADE

by Davey, Blown Coverage

Since it was announced Monday that the Braves had traded Edgar Renteria to the Tigers for pitcher Jair Jurrjens and centerfield prospect Gorkys Hernandez, I've had a bunch of people ask me my opinion on the trade. They wondered if I was extra happy about it because Jurrjens is from Curacao just like me.

First of all, I think that this trade works out great for both teams. Some people will say that Atlanta got the better deal because Renteria "choked" in Boston and they assume that he'll also bomb in Detroit.

Others think that the Tigers got the steal because they're getting an All-Star shortstop that challenged for a batting title last season while only giving up two young prospects that might not pan out. The Tigers move Carlos Guillen to first, plug Renteria at short and their potent offense becomes even stronger.

Well, like I said, I think it works out good for both teams. I loved Renteria during his Atlanta days. Go back through my archives and you will see how I became giddy like a 3-year old every time he came to the plate. He was the best and most consistent hitter not named Chipper Jones on the team and obviously I will miss that.

But Renteria had a few things going against him. First, his defense was somewhere between horrible and downright painful to watch. I would joke that he had the range of a bathtub but that's actually pretty accurate. At 32 years old, he just does not have the same speed and reach anymore like a few years ago.

Secondly, this was going to be his walk year. His contract is up and I'm pretty sure that the team would not resign him after he would hit free agency. The Braves don't have the budget anymore like back in the day and they were not going to offer a 33 year old (by then) shortstop big dollars. So basically, we all saw this trade coming.

And the guy that made this happen was Yunel Escobar. Renteria went down towards the end of the season and young Yunel Escobar stepped right in and the team didn't really miss a beat offensively. Yunel is faster, younger, cheaper, plays better defense and even though he's not in the same league offensively as Renty, you can sacrifice that a little since he's surrounded by Chipper Jones, Mark Texeira, Brian McCann, Jeff Francouer and Kelly Johnson.

So, Yunel showed that he was a capable replacement and now the infield positions look to be settled. Chipper at third, Yunel at short, KJ at second and Teixeira at first. Not bad at all.

As for what we're getting in return. Jurrjens is just 21 years old and his minor league numbers must have Braves fans pretty happy. He struck out 94 guys in about 112 in AA last season and he basically made the jump from AA to the Tigers in mid season.

His 3-1 record with a 4.70 era and 11 walks in 30 big league innings might not blow you away, but I loved the composure he showed when the Tigers threw him smack in the middle of a tight division race. He pitched a great game against Cleveland to get his first win of the season and I'm pretty excited to see what he can do for the Braves.

Remember, the Braves basically missed the play-offs for the second year in a row due to awful pitching. It was good outings from Smoltz and Hudson followed by crap from the rest of the rotation and the bullpen. I would say that Jurrjens is better right now than anyone the Braves tried at the 4 spot this season. And what makes it even better is that he has room to improve.

As for Hernandez, I don't know that much about him but he's also one of the Tigers top prospects and centerfield is suddenly a position that needs to be addressed with Andruw Jones basically already out.

Hernandez is fast, can play some very good defense from what I read and has even hit for decent average at the age of 19. The only downside is that he's a few years away from being able to contribute.

But I'll say it again. The Braves got younger, got better on defense, freed up money to possibly make a run at another pitcher and basically got two top-5 prospects for a 32 year old who's on the decline and in his contract year. In my opinion, that's a pretty good deal.

(Originally published 10/30)