Braves and Blue Jays Swap Shortstops
During his Red Sox days, Alex Gonzalez showed promise of his early years, but quickly faded to a used part. The Sox brought him for a short stint but had the same results.
However, Gonzalez has had a good season this year with Toronto Blue Jays. So much so that the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves were looking to looking to bolster their lineup for the second half of the season and traded for Gonzalez. In return, the Jays get shortstop Yunel Escobar.
The Braves and Jays moves didn't end there as Atlanta also traded left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes to Toronto in the five-player deal, while adding left-handed minor league pitcher Tim Collins as well as minor league shortstop Tyler Pastornicky.
Gonzalez, 33, is hitting .259 with 17 homers, 50 RBIs and is tied for fifth in the American League with 43 extra-base hits.
"He's an outstanding defensive shortstop and he's having a very good offensive season," Braves general manager Frank Wren told ESPN. "We think he can improve our run production. He immediately leads our team in home runs."
Escobar hit .299 with career-best totals of 14 homers and 76 RBIs last season and appears to be struggled this year, hitting only .238 with no homers and 19 RBIs.
Atlanta took on more salary as Escobar is making $435,000 this season, while Gonzalez's is pocketing $2.75 million with a contract that includes a 2011 club option for $2.5 million.
Follow Technorati