Former A's Infielder Likely to Make Atlanta Braves' Opening Day Roster

Feb 28, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Nick Allen (60) throws to first base and retires Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks (not pictured) during the second inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves and the Athletics, to nobody's surprise, made a trade this offseason. Though this time, it was a minor one with the A's sending 26-year-old infielder Nick Allen to Atlanta in exchange for right-hander Jared Johnson.

Why the A's keep adding arms from Atlanta's system is a bit of a head scratcher, though Joey Estes has shown glimpses of his potential, and Ryan Cusick, now on the A's 40-man, has transitioned to the bullpen and could serve as depth for the big-league roster as early as this season.

The team did not have the same luck with the Sean Murphy trade, receiving pitchers Kyle Muller, Freddy Tarnok, and Royber Salinas. Muller is set to pitch overseas, while Tarnok went to the Philadelphia Phillies last summer, and is now in the minors with the Miami Marlins. Salinas elected minor-league free agency and is now back in Atlanta's system after struggling with his command.

Back to Allen, who was seen as the A's shortstop of the future for a number of seasons, given his defensive ability. The fact that he hasn't won a Gold Glove at the position is mind-boggling to some, but given the amount of playing time he's received, it makes some sense.

The bat just wasn't there for Allen in his time in Oakland, with him hitting .209 with a .254 OBP in 760 plate appearances spread across parts of three seasons. Last season he ended up hitting .175 with a .216 on-base in 105 plate appearances. He has been at least 41% below league average with the bat in each of his three seasons with the A's, topping out at a 59 wRC+ in his rookie season.

With Atlanta this spring, he's hitting the ball well in the small sample size he's been given, going 5-for-13 (.385) while drawing a pair of walks to lift his on-base to .467.

Still, the plan for Allen will be as a bench player, and likely as more of a defensive replacement. In his career, he has hit left-handers quite a bit better, going 54-for-214 across three seasons, good for a .252 batting average. By comparison, he has struggled against righties, collecting 92 hits in 485 at-bats, which is below his career mark at .190.

With the glove, Allen has been consistent at short, collecting a total of 13 Defensive Runs Saved the past three seasons, while Outs Above Average thought he had a tremendous rookie campaign (+8), but then rated him as league average the past two seasons.

Orlando Arcia will continue to be Atlanta's starting shortstop, but his defense hasn't been great since 2019, posting a total of -13 DRS in that span, including a -6 in 2023. OAA disagrees, giving him a +3 in that span, which is largely impacted by a -7 from 2019, followed by some league average seasons and then back-to-back +4 campaigns in '23 and '24.

Allen is out of options, meaning that if he doesn't make Atlanta's opening day roster, then he would be subject to waivers before he could report to the minors.

This will be an interesting experiment for Atlanta this season. Most observers see the Braves as just hoping for some better fortunes on the injury front in 2025, plus banking on the returns of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider to get them where they need to go.

But the addition of Allen is a small move that could have a significant impact on the team on the margins, especially early in the season while they're not at their full capabilities. Having solid defense around the horn will help them stay with the pack at the very least, and set them up nicely for when they're back at full strength.