The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Dave O'Brien mentions -- and then almost immediately scotches -- rumors of a Yunel Escobar for Matt Holliday trade:
While the Braves have made it known they are taking calls from teams interested in potential Yunel Escobar trades, I'm told that three's nothing to the report out of Oakland of discussions between the teams about an Escobar-and-prospects trade for Oakland's Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera.
Not saying they haven't talked to Oakland at some point about Holliday. Just saying the Braves haven't talked to them about trading Escobar and prospects for Holliday and Cabrera, two pending free agents.
As O'Brien goes on to note, such a trade would be ree-dic-ulously awful for Atlanta, as Escobar is both (a) useful; and (b) not even arb-eligible until after 2010, and given that both Holliday and Cabrera are free agents after the season. Oh, and Cabrera stinks and both he and Holliday are expensive. If anything, such a deal would need prospects coming back Atlanta's way to make up for the virtual certainty that both of those guys would bolt after the season is over.
Still, I've been reading O'Brien for many years, and one thing is clear: he has some good sources in the Braves' front office. So while this particular trade makes little sense for Atlanta, I have to believe him when he says that there are talks between Oakland and Atlanta involving Escobar and Holliday. Stay tuned.
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It wouldn't be totally awful when you consider that the Braves would get 2 first-round picks when Halliday (who is almost certainly class A) inevetably bolts, and maybe a second-rounder when Cabrera bolts, as the free-agent classifications are based on your last three years.
Two problems with this: 1) given Holliday's lack of production this season, he may accept arbitration (a team only gets draft picks for FAs who decline their offer of arbitration, or if FAs sign before the arb. deadline) and if he doesn't improve after leaving the A's, he'll be an expensive, league-average OF. 2) Cabrera has a clause in his contract that the A's (or whomever) will not offer arbitration after the season.
But if you're the Braves, you need to sign Holliday back if you trade for him. The Braves weren't supposed to contend next year. It was supposed to be next year. I think Holliday>Escobar, but not one year of him.
The problem with the trade is that the Braves are faux-contenders, and shouldn't be giving up useful guys like Escobar for rentals like Holliday and Cabrera.