Braves trade Kyle Wren, son of fired GM Frank Wren
In the back of his mind, Kyle Wren had to question whether he’d see 2015 in the Atlanta Braves organization. Wren is the son of Frank Wren, who the Braves fired as their general manager in September.
On Friday, Kyle got his answer: Nope.
The Braves told him, “pack your bags, kid, you’re going to Milwaukee.” They traded Wren for minor-league pitcher Zach Quintana.
Wren, a 23-year-old centerfielder, was an eighth-round pick in the 2013 draft. He came out of Georgia Tech and, in 2014, was named the Braves’ Single-A player of the year. He hit .296/.359/.357 with 33 stolen bases in 76 games, but then was promoted to Double-A midseason, where he had a .290/.350/.365 line in 56 games.
When the Braves fired Frank Wren, they also fired his brother Jeff, who was a scout. Now they’re completely Wren-free. The Wrenkoning is complete.
In Quintana, the Braves didn’t exactly get great return, so there’s obviously more to this than trying to net a prospect gain. Quintana is 20, a former third-round pick, who is 11-13 with a 6.15 ERA in three minor-league season, none above Single-A. Wren, meanwhile, has been named the Brewers’ No. 12 prospect, according to MLB.com.
While many figured Wren might get traded, he said recently that he felt good about his place with the Braves, whom he’d been playing with in the Arizona Fall League until he was traded. Wren told the Atlanta Journal Constitution last week:
“I feel the same,” as before his father’s firing, he said last week. “I don’t feel like I’ve lost standing with the organization. Maybe it would’ve been different if I hadn’t done so well in the last year and a half, but I feel like the numbers I’ve put up speak for themself. So, I feel good.”
Famous last words there, Kyle.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
