The former Braves All-Star didn’t take long to land with a new team. And that new team could provide Atlanta their next trade win.
Orlando Arcia has a new home in MLB, not long after the Atlanta Braves sent him packing.
According to Daniel Álvarez-Montes, he’s close to finalizing a deal with the Colorado Rockies.
There’s a universe where this benefits Atlanta down the line.
The Braves DFA’d Arcia to make room for the return of Ronald Acuña Jr. Since he’d already lost his starting job at shortstop, he was an expendable piece, albeit one that Braves fans hold fold feelings for.
The Rockies have good reason to take a flyer on Arcia. He’s been far from his top level this season, but he isn’t so far removed from an All-Star appearance in 2023.
And Colorado’s gain is potentially the Braves gain as well. Because the Rockies already have a shortstop in Ezequiel Tovar.
Bringing in Arcia could be about buying low on a player with an All-Star past and a certain amount of positional flexibility — he’s seen time at second base and in the outfield. Or it could be about back-filling Tovar’s spot ahead of a trade.
Braves fans have long coveted Ezequiel Tovar
Tovar is 23 years old and coming off a Gold Glove season. Last year he slashed, .269/.469/.736 with an OPS+ of 102. This year, he’s bettering those numbers.
The Rockies have no short-term hopes of winning now.
Tovar is too promising to waste away in Colorado. And the Rockies have too much work to do to rebuild their roster not to take advantage of such a strong trade asset.
There is the question of Nick Allen, who Atlanta traded for from the A’s last year. He unseated Arcia to take over the everyday shortstop role this year.
Despite doing better than his predecessor, he hasn’t exactly been irreplaceable himself. He’s batting .250/.316/.279 with an OPS+ of 69.
The biggest issue here is that Tovar might be too expensive to get to Atlanta. Other teams with better prospects to offer could also be sniffing around if the Rockies put the young shortstop on the trade block.
In that sense, Arcia’s addition could benefit one of those teams instead.
