In March of 2022, the Atlanta Braves saw the Freddie Freeman era end and the Matt Olson era begin. But it came at a high price which saw four players traded to the Oakland Athletics for the then 27-year-old Olson. After 2023, where it also hit 54 home runs, it looked like a steal of a trade. However, what about after 2024?
Looking Back at the Matt Olsen Trade
Who Won?
The winner of this trade is not entirely clear, as both sides have benefited from the trade. It is clear, however, that the Athletics pulled off a good trade. Olson remains the highest-paid player on the Braves team, so in the aspect of money, Oakland wins. But in the aspect of the play, only two of the four players from the Olson trade are still relevant. Christian Pache doesn’t even play for a team, and in his whole career has hit seven Home runs in 251 games, worse, Pache hit .181 total. Pache also stole just five bases, drove in just 49 runs, and did nothing good in his short-lived career that could be over.
Ryan Cusick remains to be a struggling reliever in the minor leagues for the Athletics still, showing that he might remain there for the foreseeable future. Joey Estes’s first full season in the major leagues saw him show flashes of potential, but overall struggling. Estes barely struck out 92 batters in 25 appearances and in 24 starts, but also had good overall control of the strike zone with just 27 walks. The young 23-year-old can still improve, but his control of the strike zone and reliance on contact cost him his ERA, which was 5.01. Estes’s fastball remains at 92-95 and has a good variety of pitches, an increase in velocity and a little more use of outside of the strike zone could make Estes a valuable starter.
The A’s May Have Won the Trade Because of Star Catcher
The last player traded to Atlanta has become a star. Shea Langeliers hit .215 in two full seasons and 40 games in 2022. Langeliers, however, has become the most powerful catcher in baseball, as he has notched back-to-back 20 home run seasons. Langeliers this season in fact hit just as many homers as Olson this season with 29, but in 25 fewer games than Olson. Olson overall notched more RBIs and had a much higher batting average than Langeliers, albeit not by much.
Overall, the Athletics have benefited from the trade and so have the Braves. Despite a monster campaign in 2023 and a bad one in 2024, Olson was still able to notch a good season offensively and is in play for a gold glove.
Really, it is unclear who won this trade. If Estes becomes a better overall pitcher for the A’s, then the trade may turn in the direction of Oakland. However, if Olson returns to 2024 form then it was clearly won by Atlanta. In the end, the team that won the trade will be the team that wins more games (of course, Atlanta has, but Oakland has to cash in first).
Main Image: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
