Who won the Braves Astros deal for Jake Odorizzi?

The Braves and Astros struck a late-night trade. Atlanta acquired Jake Odorizzi for backup pitcher Will Smith, who will travel to Houston.

The night before the MLB trade close, a nighttime shock happened in the MLB verse. The Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves agreed an exchange of pitchersa rare 1-for-1 deal from MLB players.

The Astros and Braves are both fighting for the playoffs and the World Series, making this trade even more interesting to evaluate. Still, let’s see what trade entailed in order for this degree to be reached.

So the Braves acquire RHP Jake Odorizzi in exchange for late-inning LHP reliever Will Smith. This is an ideal exchange for both sides in terms of depth. The Astros had an overwhelming number of MLB-caliber starting pitchers, while the Braves had an equally large number of late-inning reliefs.

MLB Trade Notes: Houston Astros – B

The Astros easily get an A+ on this trade. They acted from an area in which they are deeply rooted to fill a significant need in their list. With Lance McCullers Jr. soon returning to the IL, the Astros would have had 7 starting pitchers on the list.

Meanwhile, they didn’t have a reliable left-hander in the bullpen, let alone someone who could save games when needed. Will Smith won the World Series last year with the Braves (and against the Astros) as the closer team. In his career he has 91 saves and 177 completed games.

Smith has 41 strikeouts in 37 innings this season. He’s handled a large number of bats, but I would imagine the Astros Pitching Lab can fix that. They badly needed a reliable late-inning lefty relief. The Houston Astros picked up one of the best in MLB. Also, it was a name no one thought would be available.

32-year-old Will Smith is just the newest great player to join the Astros roster and the latest to be added in the last 24 hours. Great offer. The only reason this note isn’t higher, honestly, is that Smith isn’t what he used to be.

But maybe Houston can revive him.

MLB Trade Grades: Atlanta Braves – B+

The Braves also get an A for acting from an area of ​​strength to help an area of ​​need. Who knows when Mike Soroka will be back? Spencer Strider is fast approaching a large number of innings he has never pitched before. Ian Anderson and Charlie Morton were just “good”.

The team needed a reliable starter who could keep going every day. In the meantime, they’ve penned an overwhelming number of reliable leftists like Tyler Matzek, AJ Minter, and the aforementioned Will Smith. That’s why they were able to trade with Will Smith.

Odorizzi is a playoff-proven starting pitcher who can pitch crucial innings down the line to save the bullpen. He has a 3.75 ERA in 12 starts this year and has proven strong at avoiding hard contact. He’s a great #3/4 starter for a playoff team.

This team is helping the Braves far more than Will Smith could with Kenley Jansen holed up as the closer. This trade was truly a win-win for the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves.