Deal is Done: Justin Upton To the Braves; With Prado Exit, Braves' Lineup Weaker Than 2012

The Braves pulled it off.  Justin Upton will be joining his brother B.J. Upton in the Braves' outfield in 2013.  Surprisingly though, the Braves traded their would-be third baseman Martin Prado to the Arizona Diamondbacks to complete the deal.

Here's how the deal breaks down, courtesy MLB.com's Mark Bowman and Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal:

Braves get:
Justin Upton (OF)
Chris Johnson (3B)

Diamondbacks get:
Martin Prado (3B-2B-OF)
Randall Delgado (P)
Nick Ahmed (SS prospect)
Zeke Spruill (P prospect) 
Brandon Drury (1B prospect) 

Losing Prado still leaves the Atlanta Braves without a leadoff hitter (Prado was probably going to have to hit leadoff by default) and means that the Braves will be stuck using a combination of Juan Francisco and Chris Johnson at third base.

The deal essentially means that the Braves are swapping out Chipper Jones for Justin Upton, Michael Bourn for B.J. Upton, and Martin Prado for Juan Francisco.  I am not sure who is going to lead off for the Braves given who they have.  The lineup may look like this:

1. Andrelton Simmons, SS
2. B.J. Upton, CF
3. Justin Upton, LF
4. Jason Heyward, RF
5. Freddie Freeman, 1B
6. Brian McCann, C
7.Dan Uggla, 2B
8. Juan Francisco, 3B
Pitcher 

Francisco needs to hit eighth and B.J. Upton is not a leadoff hitter.  So Simmons it probably is for the Braves.  There simply is no one else to lead off out of that bunch.

The Braves did pretty well; there was nothing they could do to counter losing Chipper Jones to retirement.  However, the lineup may be a tick below last year's.

P.S.: This likely sends Martin Prado into free agency next offseason. He's long been a favorite of Charlie Manuel.  He may fit with the Phillies.

Comments

[Base Ball]

You missed a piece here: Chris Johnson's offensive numbers were about as good as Justin Upton's last year. Do you really think the Braves make that trade and then stick with "Mendoza line" Juan Francisco at 3B? Chris Johnson gives you some numbers at 3B, which you have overlooked completely in this hastily-written article.

[Charlie]

Always thought Martin Prado was a little to arrogant. He showed it in contract negotiations... Bye, bye Martin!

[A Robertson]

low 300's and high 300's at third in the platoon.

total ownage in the outfield.

dump Prado's at least 6.8 million for a Johnson that gets 485k....

somehow I think we will be happy to have that 6 to 7 million flexibility.......

but nice article cough...

[A Robertson]

Now imagine if the Braves were owned by real owners, and they had 135 to 165 million to spend.

They have the best farm staff in the game.

Braves make it to the playoffs another decade or two.

[wholesale cheap jerseys]

You missed a here: Chris Johnson attack data well to Justin Upton last year. Do you really think that warriors to trade and adhere to the "Mendoza line" Juan Francisco in 3 b? Chris Johnson give you some digital in 3 b, you ignore completely in this hurriedly write articles.

[football jerseys cheap]

Always think Martin pula is a small to pride. He showed it in the contract negotiations... Goodbye, Martin!

[030169cj]

i think it was a pretty good move