The Atlanta Braves announced Monday night they traded right-handers Rob Whalen and Max Povse to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Alex Jackson and a player to be named later.
Whalen took to Twitter to thank the Braves:
The 22-year-old made his MLB debut last year after beginning the campaign in Double-A.
He finished the season with a 7-6 record and 2.40 ERA in the minors, and in his five MLB starts, he went 1-2 with a 6.57 ERA. He averaged 8.4 strikeouts and 3.3 walks per nine innings, illustrating his erratic command.
Povse split his season between High-A and Double-A, making 26 starts and posting a 3.36 ERA. Rotoworld’s Christopher Crawford believes he’ll be a nice addition for Seattle:
The Mariners selected Jackson with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft. He spent the 2016 season with the Single-A Clinton LumberKings, batting .243 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI. MLB.com ranked the 20-year-old as the sixth-best prospect in Seattle’s farm system.
Matthew Pouliot of Rotoworld questioned why Seattle parted ways with the highly touted prospect:
The trade makes sense for both teams.
After starting their rebuild, the Braves have assembled a strong core of young arms. They selected pitchers with their first three picks in 2016 and drafted Kolby Allard and Mike Soroka in the first round in 2015. Through trades, Atlanta also acquired Sean Newcomb and Touki Toussaint.
Baseball America‘s JJ Cooper pointed out how difficult it would’ve been for Povse, in particular, to break through:
The Braves can afford to part ways with Whalen and Povse since neither has shown the makings of a future ace. The Mariners, meanwhile, will benefit from bolstering their rotation depth.
Trading Jackson is risky given his age and potential, but the 20-year-old may never reach his MLB ceiling. He struck out 103 times in 92 games in 2016, a year after collecting 96 punchouts in 76 games, which is concerning.
Jackson has the power to become a staple in the middle of Atlanta’s lineup, the possibility of which is worth the price of surrendering two talented pitchers.
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