Braves and Mets complete four-player trade
ST. LOUIS , Mo. - The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets completed a four-player trade this evening, as Atlanta acquired minor league right-handed pitchers John Gant and Rob Whalen in exchange for infielder/outfielder Kelly Johnson, third baseman Juan Uribe and cash considerations.
Gant, who turns 23 on August 6, went 6-5 with a 3.52 ERA in 17 games (all starts) for the St. Lucie (A) Mets and the Binghamton (AA) Mets. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound right-hander is in his fifth minor league season, all with the Mets, and owns a career record of 26-19. He was named a post-season and mid-season All-Star with the Savannah (A) Sand Gnats last season, and a mid-season All-Star with the Brooklyn (A) Cyclones in 2013. The native of Savannah, Ga., was a 21st-round draft pick in 2011.
Whalen, 21, is in his fifth minor league season and went a 4-5 record with a 3.36 ERA over 15 appearances (14 starts) for St. Lucie this season. He originally was selected by the Mets in the 12th round of the 2012 June free agent draft out of Haines City (FL) High School and owns a career minor league record of 16-9 with a 2.43 ERA over 42 appearances (38 starts). The 6-2, 200-pound native of Stroudsburg, Pa., was ranked as the 18th-best prospect in the Mets' system by MLBpipeline.com.
Johnson, 33, hit .275 (50-for-182) with nine home runs and 34 RBI in 62 games for the Braves this season. He made 49 total starts for the Braves, with 25 coming in left field, 15 at first base, six at third base, two in right field and one as the designated hitter. The Braves signed Johnson as a free agent last January after drafting him in the first round of the 2000 draft.
Uribe, 36, appeared in 46 games with the Braves, hitting .285 (43-for-151) with seven home runs and 17 RBI after the club acquired him and right-handed pitcher Chris Withrow from Los Angeles (NL) on May 27. Overall, the third baseman is hitting .272 with eight home runs and 23 RBI in 75 games this season.