Braves Trade For an Old Friend: Adam LaRoche

In a surprising move at the Trade Deadline on Friday, Frank Wren traded Casey Kotchman for an old friend—Adam LaRoche.

LaRoche brings more power to plate than did Kotchman, however, Kotchman was the better hitter. He was hitting .282 to LaRoche's .248 and has only five more HR's than Kotchman.

LaRoche was recently traded from the Pirates to the Red Sox. LaRoche was a fan favorite in Atlanta for many years until he was traded for Mike Gonzalez prior to the 2006 season.

Kotchman never made an error in a Braves uniform, and LaRoche has been great defensively for his entire career.

The reason for the deal was to bring more power to a position that for the Braves has been severly lacking since trading Mark Teixiera at last year's deadline.

Adam LaRoche bring more pop to the middle of the order than Kotchman could provide. Kotchman had been hitting more homeruns lately, but not frequently enough for a team that desperately needs power from a traditional power-laden position.

Keep in mind that Adam LaRoche is traditionally a much better hitter in the second-half as well. In his career LaRoche's first-half batting average is .252. In the second-half he has hit .295.

In '06, LaRoche's last season in Atlanta, he hit 32 HR's. He hit 25 HR's last season, his most since '06.

In his six games with the Red Sox LaRoche was hitting .263 with one homerun and three RBIs.

I will not lie; this trade shocked me at first. Kotchman has been clutch lately despite his apparent lack of power. But the fact that they brought back a former fan-favorite (A calculated move, I'm sure) who has power and plays great defense makes this a good move in my mind.

It also clearly paves the way for Freddie Freeman to step in next season as the firstbaseman of the future in Atlanta.

LaRoche is a free agent at season's end.