Trading Brandon Drury may haunt the Braves for a long time

Sometimes the best trades are the ones that never get completed.

That’s a possibility current Braves president John Hart might wish former general manager Frank Wren had considered before pulling the trigger on a blockbuster deal that brought Justin Upton and Chris Johnson over from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013.

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In exchange, Wren sent five players back to Arizona. Among them were the D-Backs’ current starting shortstop Nick Ahmed and a young slugger named Brandon Drury, who is currently breaking through as one of the league’s most productive rookies.

As we all know, the Upton era did not go as planned. The Braves were really good in 2013, winning 96 games, but they flopped thereafter to the point where they rearranged some major furniture in the front office and have now embarked on a complete rebuild. It’s a trade their former decision makers may now regret. If nothing else, it’s a trade Braves fans wish didn’t include Drury, because he could haunt them for years to come.

(Yahoo Sports) The nightmares already began this weekend. On Friday, Drury homered in an Arizona win. On Saturday, he picked up three more hits in another D-Backs victory. Now the Braves will get one last look at Drury on Sunday they host Arizona in the Yahoo Sports’ MLB Free Game of the Day. The game will be streamed for free at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home beginning at 1:35 p.m. ET.

According to Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic, a spring training conversation between Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale and third-base coach Matt Williams shed some light on the impression Drury has made on Arizona.

Hale asked Williams, “Jeez, where are we going to find time for Drury?”

Williams’ response?

“Somewhere. Please.”

Drury, who entered the season as Arizona’s No. 3 ranked prospect, has since become a fixture. But a job was not handed to him. Not with an Arizona lineup that was deep on paper and coming off a season where it led the National League in runs scored.

Drury had to earn his spot on the opening day roster, and in the end his spring stats were undeniable. Then the situation sorted itself out a little more when star A.J. Pollock suffered a broken elbow, which will likely end his season. As a result of Pollock’s injury, a big batch of at-bats became available, and many of those are going to Drury.

Drury’s taking advantage too. As of Saturday, he ranked second among NL rookies with six home runs and third with a .300 batting average.

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While Arizona lost a dimension of its offense with Pollock’s power, speed and all-around skill set now gone, they’ve perhaps gained a different dimension with Drury, whose power looks legit. He’s also shown some versatility, moving to the outfield on occasion to help keep the machine running smoothly for his manager.

“I’m trying to move him around and give him the best opportunity to make this ballclub as we can,” D-backs manager Chip Hale said. “As everybody has seen, he’s done a nice job with his bat. He’s obviously a very good third baseman. If he can show us he can play some other positions, it gives him more chances to have at-bats.”

Eventually, he’ll have to settle on a position. But make no mistake, the Diamondbacks will make sure he has one as long he keeps hitting. And if he does keep hitting, Braves will be left to wonder what could have been.

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