Teixeira traded to Angels; Angels prepare for playoff push

On Tuesday the Braves traded 1B Mark Teixeira to the Angels for 1B Casey Kotchman and a mid level minor league relief pitcher. This trade boosts the middle of the Angels lineup as now they have a nice combo with Teixeira and Guerrero in the middle of the lineup. This adds to a lineup that was previously averaging 6.5 runs per game, since the All Star Break. Teixeira is hitting .284 on the season with 20 HR and 79 RBI as he was as a terror for National League Pitching all season. The Angels have already separated themselves in the AL West, so this can be classified as a 'playoff' trade. They already have arguably the best starting rotation in baseball that features John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and Jered Weaver. And now they have solidified the middle of their lineup. This is a good deal for Anaheim.

As far as the Braves, this trade screams 'White flag'. Why would you trade a player this productive unless you were clearly deemed yourself out of the race? When you consider what they traded for him originally, and what they received back once they traded him just a short year later, the Braves didn't get the good end of the Teixeira exchange. In the context of the current deal, however, I don't think it is too bad for the Braves. Since they were not going to re-sign Teixeira anyway, they now have a nice 1st baseman to replace him with in Kotchman, a guy who could potentially produce similar numbers over the course of the next few years.

Would it have been better for the Braves just had let him walk and received the compensatory picks? Who knows, but it could have been worse for Atlanta. At least they did get a viable option to replace Teixeira, which means they at least salvaged Major League ready talent. All in all, a good deal for the Angels and an understandable one for the Braves. Everyone wins.