Paul Janish Trade a Positive Sign for Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have made a step in the right direction by trading for shortstop Paul Janish.

The move was in response to the injuries to shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who is expected to be out for a month or longer with a broken finger on his throwing hand, and Jack Wilson, who should be back in the lineup in less than a week.

To get Janish, the Braves had to give up pitching prospect Todd Redmond to the Reds.

But it was all worth it.

Now, some people may look at Janish's career at the plate and not understand why the Braves made the move. And can you really blame them?

In his big league career, Janish bats .221 with seven home runs and 70 RBI. In the minor leagues, things weren't much better, as he was batting .237 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 49 games with Triple-A Louisville this year.

The big difference is in Janish's defense.

He has a career .981 fielding percentage in 1,956 innings in the field, which is a lot better than the Braves' next best option, former starter Tyler Pastornicky, who had seven errors in 134 chances in 327 innings this year.

So, while you're not getting a lot offensively, you're getting a great defensive shortstop, which is exactly what the Braves need.

Look at it this way, Wilson was going to be the starter at shortstop for a good amount of the time that Simmons was on the disabled list.

His performance at the plate (.169 average) is even worse this season than Janish's. In a way, the Braves are gaining a little bit on offense.

The Braves have the shortstop position taken care of until Simmons comes back from the DL. When he does, the decision will have to be made on whether Wilson or Janish will be demoted.

For now, it's time for the Braves to turn the focus to acquiring a starting pitcher before the trade deadline.