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Jonny Gomes was added to the Atlanta Braves in the off-season as a stop-gap, platoon outfielder who would provide a steady veteran presence in the Braves locker room. Players such as Andrelton Simmons and Freddie Freeman lauded Gomes for his professionalism and the intangibles that he provided to the team despite his struggles at the plate, in particular in the first half of the season.
Well, after rumors of several interested teams swirling in recent days, Gomes was suddenly taken out of the game against the Marllins and #Hugwatch was in full swing.
TV cameras caught Gomes hugging some teammates. Still waiting for verification that he was traded
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 1, 2015
Jonny Gomes was seen hugging teammates in the #Braves dugout after he came out of the game. No word on a trade as of yet. Stay tuned.
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) September 1, 2015
As it turns out, it was the contending Kansas City Royals that won the bidding for Gomes services. One assumes that they are acquiring him for his bench bat and not for his "formidable" bullpen prowess.
Gomes to #Royals.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 1, 2015
Confirming, #Braves have traded Gomes to #Royals. @Ken_Rosenthal had first.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienAJC) September 1, 2015
gomes goes to royals with cash for a minor-league infielder @Ken_Rosenthal 1st
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) September 1, 2015
The Braves are sending some cash over in the deal and getting young infielder prospect Luis Valenzuela back in the deal
#Braves trade Jonny Gomes to the #Royals, per sources, for 2B Luis Valenzuela
— TomahawkTake (@TomahawkTakeFS) September 1, 2015
While Valenzuela isn't a highly ranked prospect, he has had a great year this year in A-ball with a .339/.368/.483 slash line for the Lexington Legends. He features a short, quick swing and while he doesn't have a standout tool, he is a guy who could feasible add some more weight (150 pounds and 5'10 right now, just 22 years old) and possibly have strong gap power.