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The Braves have acquired first baseman/outfielder Matt Adams and cash from the Cardinals for minor-league infielder Juan Yepez, as first reported by Jorge de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The deal is now official.
Atlanta has been looking for a long-term solution at first base in the wake of losing Freddie Freeman for 10 weeks to a broken wrist. The club signed veteran James Loney to a minor-league deal and planned on using Rio Ruiz and Jace Peterson at the position, though Adams appears to be the heavy favorite to take over on a more permanent basis.
Adams, who turns 29 in late August, only received 48 at-bats in St. Louis this year with Matt Carpenter taking over at first and Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty as established options in the corner outfield spots. Adams has hit .292/.340/.396 with one homer in that span.
Adams is a veteran of six seasons with the Cardinals, owning a career 4.1-WAR and .271/.315/.453 line with 56 homers in that span. He is a free agent after next season.
Yepez, 19, has hit .275/.309/.387 with one homer in 36 games for Single-A Rome this year. He is a corner infielder who has never appeared in Baseball America’s rankings of the Braves’ top 30 prospects.