Report: Braves “Smitten” with Jorge Soler – Pitcher Trade Possibilities?

You so rarely get to use smitten in a baseball context that I simply couldn’t resist the quote.

Of more importance, here’s the report:

#Redsox and #Cubs are teams that could match up with Atlanta on a Shelby Miller deal, said person familiar with #Braves thinking.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 1, 2015

#Braves are smitten with Jorge Soler, person said. Julio Teheran likely wouldn't get it done. Could Miller spark interest from #Cubs?

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 1, 2015

That's one — Soler for Miller — that seems doable. Worth noting, Soler's played RF whole career. Wither Markakis? https://t.co/aEznSUOpha

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienAJC) December 1, 2015

We know that the Braves’ asking price on Shelby Miller has been high, and there were rumors of the Braves’ interest in Jorge Soler back at the Trade Deadline. That there’d be some mutual interest/discussion here would not be a surprise.

But, as Crasnick points out, Teheran, alone, wouldn’t be enough for the Cubs to part with Soler, who has monster upside, and started to show it after some swing changes in the second half. My guess is that Miller has slightly more trade value, but if I’m being honest with myself, even that’s a one-for-one swap that I don’t think I could get behind.

Some of that is irrational, because the Cubs probably cannot keep every single positional player with upside AND significantly add to their pitching reserves for the next few years AND stay within the budget of the next few years. These are the kinds of tough deals the Cubs will have to make.

However, we’d be talking about three arbitration years of a 25-year-old pitcher (good floor, solid upside) for five controlled years of a 23-year-old position player (possibly lower floor, but much higher ceiling). Out of Miller and Soler, who is the better asset? My gut says Soler.

The Braves very much should be smitten with Jorge Soler. He has the kind of physical abilities that few do, and the total skill set to turn those abilities into a 5+ win player for a half decade. Does he have some defensive drawbacks right now? Yup. Might he never improve out there? He might not. But the bat … I just think it’s going to play. And I think it’s going to play very, very well.

In any case, it’s interesting to see the Cubs so specifically connected to the Braves and their pitchers. I remain intrigued by both Miller and Teheran for the Cubs.