The Atlanta Braves are currently in first place in the National League East and are up six games on the Washington Nationals, putting themselves in prime position heading into the summer and at the trading deadline on July 31.
While the team doesn't have too many pressing needs, one move that general manager Frank Wren already made is paying off big time, as the deal for Jordan Walden from the Angels for Tommy Hanson is looking genius right now. The deal came in under the radar last year in December when it went down, but now it looks like a fantastic move, as the Braves needed his arm in the bullpen.
The braves have been fine in the rotation without Hanson and the Angels have been struggling mightily all season. Hanson is dealing with injuries and has been ineffective with a plus-5.00 ERA, while Walden has been the exact opposite with Atlanta, putting up a 2.70 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched. The deal looks like a steal now and it could get even more valuable later on if Walden can continue his strong play through the season.
At the time the deal looked fairly even, as the Braves saw Hanson as a star in the making, but after dealing with injuries and other issues, they felt it was time to deal him. He played much better in the first half of the season before breaking down and now the Braves have Walden to show for it. Hanson was expendable due to the arms the Braves already had and their rotation of Julio Teheran, Tim Hudson, Kris Medlen, Mike Minor and Paul Maholm has been one of the best in the majors.
The team could go after names like Oliver Perez or Jesse Crain, but so far that doesn't seem like a possibility as long as Walden keeps playing well. Walden was the closer for the Angels before dealing with injury issues himself, but now that he is with the Braves he has been extremely effective ahead of Craig Kimbrel. The Braves will consider making moves, but right now they still appear as one of the strongest teams in baseball.
