Athletics and Braves Complete Blockbuster

The Oakland Athletics are trading Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers, and starters Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes.

With Olson joining the Braves, it's becoming rather clear that Freddie Freeman's time as the face of the franchise is likely over. Although this will be a major loss if it officially comes to fruition, they at least are replacing him with another star in Olson.

In 156 games this past season, Olson had 39 home runs, 111 RBIs, and a .271 batting average. With these kinds of numbers, he understandably was named an All-Star. Yet, he also has amazing fielding skills, too, as he has won two Gold Gloves and three Fielding Bibles over his career.

From this trade, the A's are landing four young players. Pache and Langeliers were named the two top prospects of the Braves' system in 2021 and are viewed as having very high ceilings. Cusick was also the team's 2021 first-round pick, so he is another major addition to their prospect pool. Estes is also coming off of a strong Single-A season.

Nevertheless, what a big trade!