Baseball Opinion - Trade Bait: Reds need a Catcher

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Trade Bait: Braves Ship out Yates

Christopher Solberg, Editor
3/26/2008

The Atlanta Braves have reduced their surplus of bullpen arms without options remaining today by trading Tyler Yates to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Todd Redmond.

Yates was a major cog in the Braves pen last season as he made 75 appearances, posting a 5.18 ERA. However, that ugly ERA doesn't even show the inherited runners allowed.

But Yates does have good stuff, slinging a mid-90s fastball and a slider in the 80s. It's a combination that resulted in more strikeouts than innings pitched last season. But he's always lacked the control of his pitches. His 62/116 walks to innings pitched ratio over the past couple seasons is ugly.

But the Pirates saw some potential, much like the Braves, Mets, and Athletics before them. He'll take over as the top right-handed setup man for the team behind Matt Capps.

Todd Redmond isn't that much of a steal though. He has a fastball that hovers around 90 mph, a curveball, and a changeup, all considered average. He struggled for the first time this season at High-A ball, posting a 4.54 ERA in 25 starts. But he put up decent numbers during a short stint in Double-A and had good stats in 2005 and 2006.

Although he doesn't project as a starter in the majors, he should be a decent middle reliever.

I've never been a big fan of Yates. He's got good stuff, but the walks would frustrate any fan. I was surprised that the Braves got this much out of a guy that has a career ERA of 5.15 and out of options.

Although Yates have better pure stuff, it looks like the Pirates gave up a little more in Todd Redmond than they should have. Then again, even though we are talking about one of the Pirates' top 30 prospects, a pitcher that is projected to be a middle reliever isn't much to give up. They've put a little more credibility into the bullpen with this move, but you'd think they'd be able to find something a little better out on the waiver wire or in free agency.

But when your options are Scott Williamson, Russ Ortiz, and others that make other GMs grab for the antacids every time they walk out to the bullpen mound, you sometimes have to pick the lesser of two evils.

Considering everything, it is a low-risk, low-reward trade for both sides.

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