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Atlanta Braves: Grading the Matt Olson trade after one month

By Noah Yingling

Apr 8, 2022; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) singles for his first hit as a Brave against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2022; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) singles for his first hit as a Brave against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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After deciding to move on from Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves traded for first baseman Matt Olson in a five-player deal with the Oakland A’s.

Olson, 28, is an Atlanta native and grew up as a Braves fan so it was bit of a homecoming for him. After being traded over, Olson signed an eight-year extension with the Braves for $168 million plus a $20 million team option for a ninth year.

Through his first month as a member of the Braves, Olson has been one of the few bright spots for the Braves’ offense. For the A’s, it has been less successful.

Matt Olson has been one of the best hitters for the Atlanta Braves

To start the season, Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson has been great. In 26 games, he has 28 hits, an MLB-leading 11 doubles, three homers, 11 RBI, and a slash line of .283/.395/.485.

For comparison, Freddie Freeman hit .300/.393/.503 last season. With offense being down across the league this year, Olson’s OPS+ is about 20 points higher than Freeman’s 2021 OPS+.

For the Oakland A’s, most of the players they got in return are still in the minor leagues.

The only MLB player is Cristian Pache. Pache has hit .177 with an OPS of .489. That OPS+ is nearly 50 percent below league average.

Minor league prospects Shea Langeliers (Triple-A) has played well (.325 average with a 1.129 OPS in 22 games) but pitcher Ryan Cusick (5.40 ERA in three starts in Double-A) and pitcher Joey Estes (4.50 ERA in three starts in High-A) have not played as well.

What grade do the Atlanta Braves get for the Matt Olson trade/extension?

For the Atlanta Braves, they get an A for the Matt Olson deal so far. The only reason why it isn’t an A+ is that it’s a small sample size (99 plate appearances) but at this rate for even half of a season, it could easily be an A+ grade for the beginning of Olson’s tenure.

They did have to give up some good prospects (particularly Langeliers) but if Olson continues helping them this year and helps them get back to the playoffs, it will be worth it.

What grade do the Oakland A’s get for the Matt Olson trade?

As for the Oakland A’s, they get a C- so far. Pache was MLB.com’s #12 overall prospect entering last season but his bat has not developed.

This is nothing new as it wasn’t off the charts in Triple-A and in the parts of two seasons in the majors before 2022, Pache has been awful at the plate (-5 OPS+ in 72 plate appearances). The other pitching prospects have had a small sample size but are still #8 (Cusick) and #16 (Estes) in the A’s system.

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Langeliers should be in the majors by the end of the season so, perhaps, he can be their catcher for the future.

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