Dbacks Acquire Gosselin From Braves For Toussaint and Arroyo
By Guillermo Salcido
The Dbacks have acquired Phil Gosselin from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Touki Toussaint and Bronson Arroyo. The move can best be described a salary dump, but it will no doubt ruffle a few feathers among the Arizona faithful.
Gosselin is currently on the 15-day DL recovering from a thumb injury and is expected to be sidelined until after the All Star break. Gosselin, 26, made his MLB debut in 2013 for Atlanta. Last season, he hit .266 with a homer and drove in three RBI. Before his injury, Gosselin was hitting .325 with two RBI and two stolen bases. For Atlanta, he played the role as reserve infielder/utility.
Aug 24, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; National pitcher Touki Toussaint (20) delivers a pitch during the 2013 Under Armour All-American Baseball game at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports
Most people will cry foul because of Toussaint’s departure from the Dbacks. Touki was drafted by Arizona with the 16th pick of the 1st round in the 2014 MLB Draft. The 19-year old signed with the Dbacks out of high school and was pitching for the Kane County Cougars (A-level Dbacks affiliate) before the trade. In Kane County, Touki went 2-2 with a 3.69 ERA and 29 strikeouts.
The part that made sense was the dumping of Arroyo’s contract. Arroyo is still recovery from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to factor in the majors until at least July, if not longer. In 2014 with Arizona, Arroyo went 7-4 with a 4.08 ERA and 47 strikeouts. Arroyo is a former All Star and World Champion that Atlanta believes could play a factor if he’s able to regain his full health.
The real key in this trade was Atlanta’s acquisition of Touki. It made sense for the Dbacks to dump Arroyo, especially with the arrival of so many young arms in Arizona. However, relinquishing one of your most recent 1st round draft picks in exchange for a lesser pay roll is sure to irk your fan base. In Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa we trust.
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