Braves Acquire Alex Gonzalez; Give Yunel Escobar The Chop.

ESPN is reporting that the Braves and Blue Jays have agreed to a trade that sends SS Alex Gonzalez and two minor leaguers for Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes.

This is a huge addition for the Braves as Gonzalez is a proven veteran, and despite his .259 average this year, he’s starting the 2nd half of the year with 17 HR and 50 RBI.

The real significance of this deal is that no longer do the Braves have to deal with the awful mistakes of Escobar. Escobar just recently almost cost Troy Glaus time by lobbing the ball in forcing Glaus to reach and get his wrist slammed into.

Gonzalez isn’t a star, but he doesn’t make as many boneheaded mistakes as Escobar does, so this is a nice trade for the NL East leading Braves in my opinion. How many times during a Mets game have we seen Escobar make mistakes that drive not only Bobby Cox but our own broadcasters crazy?

Smart move by an organization trying to give their retiring manager one last run at it.