Oh look, the Braves are trading with the A’s again.
We’ve got a trade! It may not be a huge deal but it’s certainly one of the trades of all time! It involves two trade partners who are quite familiar with each other, though this deal is nowhere near the blockbusters that they’ve done in the past. The Atlanta Braves have linked up with the Athletics in order to do a deal where minor leaguer Jared Johnson is heading to the A’s in exchange for infielder Nick Allen.
The #Braves today acquired INF Nick Allen from the Athletics in exchange for minor-league RHP Jared Johnson.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 11, 2024
At first glance, this is clearly a move that has “organizational depth” written all over it. Allen finished last season with a slash line of .175/.216/.247 with a wOBA of .207 and a wRC+ of 33, ending up with a grand total of -0.6 fWAR over 41 games and 105 plate appearances. He has a career wRC+ of 53 and now would be a good time to show you the one and only home run that Allen hit in 2024.
That was his ninth career home run, to boot. For what it’s worth, Allen has been okay as a defender and it’s very likely that if we see him playing for the Braves then he’ll likely be utilized as a defensive substitute and a bench option. Can’t go wrong with adding more depth to the organization, right?
Meanwhile, Jared Johnson will be heading to the A’s, who will surely be hoping that Johnson will be able to develop into a reliable reliever once he’s ready for the bigs. Johnson spent his entire 2024 in High-A as a member of the Rome Emperors and he’ll likely be pitching in Double-A for most of 2025 as well. Johnson also made it onto the Honorable Mention of our staff’s Minor League preseason Top 30 prospects rankings, so the A’s may be getting a good one here. We’ll see!