Atlanta Braves Trade Top Prospect for Royals Competitive Balance Pick

Atlanta and Kansas City are finalizing a trade that will send center-field prospect Drew Waters, right-handed pitching prospect Andrew Hoffmann and a third minor leaguer to the Royals for the 35th pick in Sunday's draft, which has a $2.2 million slot value, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 11, 2022

The first blockbuster deal of trade season didn't feature a superstar centerfielder like Bryan Reynolds or Cedric Mullins going to a contending team. Instead, it saw the reigning world champions move what once looked to be their centerfielder of the future, for draft capital.

Drew Waters was drafted in the 2nd round of the of the 2017 Amateur draft out of high school. By 2020 he had already become MLB's #26 prospect. Though that status had faded somewhat after a lackluster 2021 at Triple-A, Waters is still a prospect with high pedigree, and the #1 prospect in the Atlanta Braves system per MLB Pipeline. He's slashing .253/.311/.411 this year at Triple-A Gwinnett.

If that were the only piece of the trade, it still might seem like a steal for the Kansas City Royals. After all, they still maintain their first round pick, the ninth selection in the draft. But the Braves are also sending High-A starter Andrew Hoffmann and Double-A utility man CJ Alexander.

Andrew Hoffmann was the Braves 12th round pick in 2021, but as late as he was drafted, he's shown some real signs of breakout talent in 2022.

As a 22-year-old at High-A, Hoffmann has pitched to a 2.36 ERA in 15 starts and a 10.1 K/9, coupled with a 2.4 BB/9. He's pitching to younger competition, but his low 90's fastball has proven its deceptive nature to minor league hitters.

CJ Alexander is a much less enticing name than the other two pieces the Royals received from the Braves, but the 15 home runs he's hit at Double-A Mississippi show he could be an alluring challenger for a 'Matt Stairs' type role off the Royals bench one day.

What the deal does present however, is that the Braves value that 35th selection in the 2022 Amateur Draft very highly. It would seem that one prospect has caught the attention of their scouts, one who's so undervalued that it warranted trading away a top prospect.

The Philadelphia Phillies and other teams around the league would do well to take note of where Atlanta's scouts are going next. They may have found a diamond in the rough.

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