After seeing their 2011 season end in brutal fashion, the Atlanta Braves have been one of the more active teams in the rumor mill this offseason. They have already dealt Derek Lowe and it seems like they have some other things in the works.

Prado could be on the move

Let’s catch up with the Braves and see what they have cooking.

Are The Braves Really Going To Move Martin Prado? It’s been rumored that the Braves were going to ship Prado first to the Detroit Tigers and then there was another rumor that he could be going to the Colorado Rockies for Seth Smith and another player.

These rumors are puzzling to me.

Yes Prado had a down 2011, but the guy is a very good hitter, has tremendous versatility. Prado has played first, second, third, left, and right for the Braves in the past and in 2011, Prado played third and left exceptionally well (1.5 and 5.1 UZR at each position).

What makes the rumor of trading Prado also so puzzling is that the Braves have been an injury prone team in the past. I would think the Braves would value a guy like Prado even more.

Is Eduardo Nunez A Better Option Than Tyler Pastornicky? Another rumor I am confused about is the latest rumor that the Braves are interested in New York Yankee INF Eduardo Nunez. With last year’s SS Alex Gonzalez not expected to be back in 2012, the Braves need a SS.

But is Nunez really better than Tyler Pastornicky?

I really don’t the infatuation teams have with Nunez. His career Minor League slash line is .274/.318/.369 and has shown little improvement in learning the strike zone. His 6.3 BB Percentage in Triple-A last season was no better than it was back when Nunez was in Single-A back in 2007.

He strikes me as nothing more than a utility player in the Major Leagues. I just view him as another product of the New York Yankee Prospect Hype Machine. This when the Yankees have the media hype up some marginal prospect so other teams think he is a superstar.

If the Braves want a young SS, why they don’t see if Pastornicky can win the job in spring training? Pastornicky is a 21-year-old SS, who has a career .278/.345/.374 slash line in four Minor League seasons.

He is just as fast, if not faster than Nunez (averages around 30 steals a season in the minors), has a better eye at the plate, and might be better defensively at short. Why the Braves would give up players (maybe Jair Jurrjens) for something they already have and might be better than what they are getting, is strange to me.

The Braves should sign a veteran stop-gap SS like Yuniesky Betancourt instead of giving up players for Nunez and see if Pastornicky can win the job.

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By The Baseball Index