The Atlanta Braves swung a deal on Friday night that involved a former World Series Champion pitcher on their staff. Kyle Wright, a veteran right-hander from the Braves’ 2021 World Series team, won’t be dealing from the mound in Atlanta anymore. The Braves traded the former Vanderbilt standout to the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals acquired Wright in exchange for fellow right-hander Jackson Kowar. Kowar is a former first-rounder with six years of club control, so Atlanta will surely value that in this pitcher swap.
Wright underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss 2024, and won’t be ready until 2025, according to MLB reporter Mark Bowman, who reported the trade Friday night.
The Braves traded Kyle Wright, who was expected to get approximately $1.4M as he recovers from shoulder surgery next year. He goes to the Royals in exchange for Jackson Kowar, a right-handed reliever who doesn’t have any remaining options
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) November 18, 2023
Kyle Wright won’t be available until 2025, when he’ll be 29 with a surgically-repaired shoulder. Instead of gambling on his future, the Braves opted to clear more payroll space with their third trade in two days https://t.co/D8SuQGgpOo
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) November 18, 2023
In Wright, the Royals get a pitcher who won an NL-leading 21 games in 2022. Obviously, pitching wins have diminished, but Wright still performed well in other categories. He posted a 3.19 ERA in 180.1 innings of work, with 174 strikeouts and 53 walks. He posted a WHIP of just 1.159, which is a career-low.
Wright struggled to get through this past season, though, once again. 2022 was the only year that Wright had eight starts in his career. Wright had just seven last season and appeared in nine games, with only 31 innings of work. So, ultimately, the Braves appeared to decide to move on from Wright’s potential and evaluated what he had.
For the Royals, they don’t lose too much beyond the club-controlled Kowar by trying it out with Wright. If he performs well on a beleaguered club, they could fetch value for him in a trade at the deadline. They can either move on or deal with it if it doesn’t work out, as the Royals aren’t expected to do much.
