:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46580374/usa-today-8259189.0.jpg)
When a trade goes down, baseball writers attempt to evaluate the pros and cons for both teams. How does it help them now? How does it help them down the road? In most cases, national pundits see the value for both teams. Granted they may like the trade for one side more than the other, but it's rarely as one-sided as the reaction was on Saturday night when the Braves acquired top-prospect Touki Toussaint and Bronson Arroyo for Phil Gosselin.
The reaction on Twitter was pretty incredible:
Jim Callis, MLB.com lead prospect writer
Touki Toussaint giveaway by @Dbacks to @Braves to dump $9.5 mil of Bronson Arroyo's salary is the most inexplicable trade I have ever seen.
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 21, 2015
Most inexplicable trade ever. He'll be No. 4. @TJP_89: Where does Toussaint come in on the @Braves top 30? On Cloud 9 with this trade.
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 21, 2015
Ben Badler, Baseball America national writer
. @FBI Investigate the Braves next
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) June 21, 2015
Meanwhile, the Braves paid $10 million to add a Top 100 prospect and might blitz the international market in 2016. Way better strategy.
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) June 21, 2015
Christopher Crawford, Baseball Prospectus writer
The Braves just bought one of the most talented right-handed pitching prospects in baseball. Good job, Atlanta.
— Christopher Crawford (@CVCrawfordBP) June 21, 2015
Lets put it this way: If Touki Toussaint was a prospect from Cuba, he'd get a LOT more than whatever Atlanta will pay Arroyo.
— Christopher Crawford (@CVCrawfordBP) June 21, 2015
Keith Law, ESPN
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA #dbacks
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) June 21, 2015
The @Dbacks, who signed a $1 billion-plus TV deal in February, just sold their #3 prospect for a few million bucks.
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) June 21, 2015
As for the Diamondbacks reaction:
Received three unsolicited texts from stunned scouts/execs about this trade.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) June 21, 2015
Seems odd for the Dbacks to sell off one of their top prospects just months after signing a TV deal worth more than $1.5 billion.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) June 21, 2015
Asked a front office executive for his thoughts on the #DBacks-#Braves trade. His response: "Lol."
— Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayBBE) June 21, 2015
There were many more tweets like the ones above, and you've probably got the picture by now. Toussaint has a long way to go as a prospect, but there are few players in the minor leagues with more upside and potential.
Today is a good day for the Braves.