Sports Page Atlanta

The Atlanta Braves have officially become sellers, trading 1B Mark Teixeira to the Anaheim Angels for 1B Casey Kotchman and minor-league pitcher Stephen Marek.  Teixeira was hitting .283, with 20 HR and 78 RBI with the Braves this season.

Kotchman was enjoying a break-out season this year for the Angels, hitting .287 with 12 HR and 54 RBI, in just his second full season.  In his five major-league seasons, Kotchman is hitting .274 with 31 HR and 165 RBI.

Marek has spent his entire season with the Arkansas Travelers (AA), sporting a 2-6 record, 3.66 ERA and 57 SO in just 46.2 IP. 

The trade is the culmination of what is a dreadful season for the Braves. Key players John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Mike Hampton, Tim Hudson, Mark Kotsay, Matt Diaz, and Rafael Soriano have all missed, or will miss, significant time; Jeff Francoeur is enduring his worst season as a pro, and the Braves haven’t been able to win a one-run road game this season.  It’s the first time since 1990 that the Braves are officially
sellers.

About an hour ago, the Los Angeles Angels pulled Casey Kotchman off the Fenway Park field and into the clubhouse. He was informed that he and minor league pitcher, Stephen Marek, had been traded to the Atlanta Braves for Mark Teixeira.

It should be easy to compare Kotchman to Teixeira as they’re both first basemen. Let’s now look at Marek.

Marek is a 6′2″ right-handed pitcher in the Angels organization playing for Double-A Arkansas. He was a 40th round selection for the Angels (#1,193 overall) in 2004. He started his professional career as a starting pitcher, but moved to the bullpen this season. He’s never played above Double-A baseball.

His record, this season, is 2-6 with a 3.66 ERA. He strikes out more than a batter per inning as he has 57 strikeouts in only 46.2 innings of work. He holds opponents to a .223 batting average.

Casey Kotchman was a first round pick (#13 overall) by the Angels in 2001 and is playing in his fifth big league season, second as a full-time player). In 100 games this season he’s batting .287 with 12 home runs, 54 RBI, and two stolen bases.

While Kotchman doesn’t have the power that Teixeira has, his value to the Braves comes in a smaller salary. He’s playing the 2008 season under a one-year salary worth $1.45 million. If the Braves do resign Kotchman, it surely won’t be as expensive as it would have been for the Braves to resign Teixeira.