The Braves are now better equipped to cope with the (possibly brief) absence of third baseman Chipper Jones. On Sunday, they shipped right-handed pitching prospect J.J Hoover to Cincy in exchange for third sacker Juan Francisco, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.As stop-gaps go, Francisco is a good one. The 24-year-old, lefty-swinging Francisco has a .284/.331/.450 batting line in 181 career plate appearances at the major-league level, and he batted .286/.317/.502 with 112 home runs across parts of six seasons in the minors. Francisco has an impatient, free-swinging approach at the plate and platoon weaknesses, but the raw power is undeniable. While his range at third is lacking, he has a powerful arm and should start more than his share of 5-4-3s behind the strongly groundball-inclined Atlanta staff.
Having thrived in repeated stints at Triple-A, he's ready to contribute at the highest level. Ideal? No. But, again, considering the late hour and the nominal cost the Braves paid to get him, Francisco figures to be quite useful while Chipper convalesces. Once the third-baseman emeritus does return, Francisco can lurk as a dangerous left-handed bat on the bench (he's out of minor-league options).
And speaking of "the nominal cost the Braves paid to get him," there's Hoover. Hoover, also age 24, started quite a bit in the minors, but his lack of a serviceable changeup and command issues mean he's likely a present and future reliever. The Reds could use such a thing since Ryan Madson is out for the season, but Francisco figures to have more impact both now and moving forward.
Credit the Braves for dealing from a position of strength (i.e., pitching) to address a clear need.
