The Yankees-Braves Blockbuster that Never Was: Which Names were Involved?

What would a 2015-16 New York Yankees system have looked like without Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, or Gary Sanchez?

Early Tuesday morning, just after midnight on the East Coast, Jon Heyman broke news on an old trade that didn’t happen. It never went down so what’s the big deal? Well, if you’re a Yankees or Braves fan, Heyman’s juicy tweets about a collapsed blockbuster between the teams most definitely caught your eye.

There seemed to be a general consensus among two things in the reactions on Heyman’s tweet thread: Jon Heyman doesn’t require sleep, and Yanks and Braves fans alike were both relieved that this mega-deal was never agreed upon. Which names were involved in the proposal, you ask?

• From Braves to Yankees: OF Jason Heyward, SS Andrelton Simmons, INF Chris Johnson, OF B.J. Upton (now Melvin Upton), RHP David Carpenter
• From Yankees to Braves: RHP Luis Severino, RF Aaron Judge, C Gary Sanchez, LHP Ian Clarkin, LHP Manny Banuelos

Wow, quite a franchise-altering discussion! Let’s take a look at what this trade would’ve done to the Yankees’ roster:

First impression: That’s a whole lot of pitching involved for a handful of position players. And not just pitching, starting pitching. Obviously some players still found their names involved in a lesser trade when the Braves sent Carpenter and Chasen Shreve to New York in exchange for Banuelos. Carpenter was a bust, but Shreve gave the Yankees some outstanding innings until his implosion at the end of the year. Banuelos appeared in seven games with the Braves in 2015, going 1-4 with a 5.13 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched. Severino’s rookie season went much better by comparison (5-3, 2.89).

Only looking at the names in the blockbuster proposal, plus knowing that the Yankees ended up with Shreve and retained Clarkin, it’s easy to see that New York won this from a pitching perspective, just by being the team to say “no” and back away from the deal.

Heyward and New York’s 2015 outfield: Man, it sure would’ve been cool to see Heyward in a Yankees uniform. That being said, the largest factor that kept the Yankees from pulling the trigger on this deal was likely Heyward’s impending free agency. After the 2015 season, his team control would expire and he’d be able to explore the open market, where he eventually would sign with the Chicago Cubs. For the centerpiece of a trade this drastic, Cashman probably viewed four Yankees’ top prospects as a steep asking price for a one-year rental. And with a full outfield–LF Brett Gardner, CF Jacoby Ellsbury, and RF Carlos Beltran–the additions of Heyward and Upton would’ve made the depth chart way too crowded.

Not to mention, Beltran (who Heyward would’ve displaced barring a trade of another outfielder) followed a disappointing 2014 season by becoming one of the Yanks’ most consistent hitters down the stretch in 2015. So while the want for Heyward was high, the need wasn’t nearly as pressing as it could’ve been.

I will say this though: Heyward’s 1.96 dWAR (ranked 13th in MLB for 2015) would’ve been welcomed over Beltran’s unsightly defense in right field. No doubt about it, the Yankees would’ve been a better team with Heyward in the field.

Simmons versus Didi Gregorius: After looking away from Atlanta to find Derek Jeter‘s successor at shortstop, Cashman united with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers in a 3-team trade that brought Didi to the Bronx and sent Shane Greene to the Tigers. Of course, other names were involved between the Tigers and D-backs, but only Greene and Didi directly affected the Yankees. I remember being upset about this trade. Shame on me.

Don’t get me wrong, Simmons would’ve been fun to watch at shortstop. But after an adjustment period to begin the season, Gregorius transformed himself into a well-refined ball player.

Simmons’ 2015 4.0 WAR, which leans heavily on his defensive abilities, edged out Didi’s 3.26. But by comparing the asking prices, I’ll take surrendering only Shane Greene any day of the week for a Gold Glove shortstop finalist that can hit, too.

The long-term outlook for both clubs: It’s hard to knock what the Braves turned Heyward and Simmons into. After the Yankees moved on from trade talks, the Braves flipped Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals for Shelby Miller. And boy did that set up a helluva trade when the Braves turned Miller into a sparkling package over the 2015-16 off-season.

The Braves acquired OF Ender Inciarte, the No. 1 overall selection from last year’s draft in SS Dansby Swanson, and pitching prospect Aaron Blair from the D-backs, all for Miller and minor league pitcher Gabe Speier. No matter what prospects the Yankees held onto, it’s hard to beat what the Braves finagled out of Arizona for Miller, which was made possible by trading Heyward. And that’s not even mentioning the overpay from the Angels to get Simmons. Great wins for the rebuilding Braves these past two off-seasons.

At the same time, the Yankees also have a much stronger roster heading into 2016 as a result of not going through with the trade. Heyward would’ve been a rental, Simmons is Simmons but New York now has Didi, David Carpenter pitched his way off the team in 2015, Chris Johnson would’ve been useful only in a bench role, and Melvin Upton hasn’t even been close to good in recent years. So the team avoided the latter three throw-in names and kept their top prospects while focusing on the long term status of the organization.

Not bad, Cashman. Sometimes it’s the moves you don’t make that become the best.

Next: Tanaka Will Shine for the Yankees in 2016

Were you satisfied that the Yankees turned down the Braves’ offer? Could there have been a better trade proposal? Let us know in the comments below.