Evan Gattis appears to be a near certainty to be dealt this offseason by the Atlanta Braves, as the NY Post’s Joel Sherman is hearing that the team is “pushing hard” to complete a deal at this week’s GM Meetings.
Word is #Braves pushing Gattis hard. AL teams interested since he could DH and play the field more sparingly
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 10, 2014
Atlanta’s interest in moving Gattis has been widely known for a few months, as it’d allow the team to make room for Christian Bethancourt to play full time behind the plate. Bethancourt is gifted defensively, considered by some to be the best defensive catching prospect in the game, but his bat has yet to fully develop. The 23 year old appeared in 31 games for the Braves this past season, hitting .248/.271/.272.
Gattis has been used in left field by the Braves, 47 games in 2013, but he isn’t a strong defender. With Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, and Jason Heyward there’s no room for Gattis to work into the everyday lineup as an outfielder to make up for things at the plate. He’s limited defensively behind the plate as well, suggesting that he’d be an ideal option for an AL team – rotating between catcher and designated hitter. Gattis batted .263/.317/.493 in 401 plate appearances this past season, hitting 22 home runs.
Under team control for four more seasons, Gattis likely won’t come cheap for an acquiring club but he could represent a low-cost alternative for team’s looking for offense behind the plate.