Braves Acquire OF Scott Schebler in Deal With Reds

The Braves have acquired Scott Schebler, a left-handed hitting outfielder who has spent parts of the last four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, the team announced Friday afternoon.

Braves have traded for Scott Schebler, who was recently designated for assignment by the Reds.
— timdierkes (@timdierkes) July 24, 2020

The Atlanta #Braves have acquired OF Scott Schebler from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for cash considerations.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 24, 2020

Schebler was horrible last year as he tried to play through a shoulder issue. His season ended Aug. 1 and he had shoulder surgery on Aug. 6. He hit just .123 in 95 plate appearances with two home runs and seven RBI.

Still, Schebler has been a fairly productive player when healthy. He hit .255 with 17 home runs and 49 RBI in 380 at bats two years ago, and in 2017, he set career highs with 30 home runs and 67 RBIs.

Schebler is not a good platoon candidate, as he has actually been better against left-handed pitchers in his MLB career. Schebler has hit .261 in 330 at bats against southpaws and only .223 in 978 at bats against right-handed pitchers.

Since he was out of options, the Braves will have Schebler on their 40-man roster. He will be with the "other 30" group in Gwinnett and be on stand-by in case the Braves need another left-handed bat.

The Braves signed veteran lefty slugger Matt Adams earlier this week, a move that should provide the offense with much-needed depth after losing right fielder Nick Markakis. But if something were to happen to Adams or if he were not productive, Schebler at least gives Atlanta another option.

Some might wonder if this rules out the Braves getting free agent Yasiel Puig, who was set to sign with Atlanta before testing positive for COVID-19. It likely does not impact that possibility at all. The Braves will probably wait to see where they are when Puig can test negative and then make a decision.

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