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The Atlanta Braves announced on Monday that they have acquired All-Star first baseman Matt Olson in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. The Braves sent outfielder Christian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers and pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes to the Athletics in the swap. The Braves’ trade for Olson likely means All-Star Freddie Freeman, the Braves’ starting first baseman for the past 12 seasons, will join another team in free agency.
The 27-year-old Olson hit .271 with a career-high 39 home runs and 111 RBIs in 156 games last season for the Athletics. He owns a career .252 average with 142 home runs in six seasons.
Pache, 23, hit .111 with a home run and four RBIs in 22 games last season for the Braves. Langeleirs, 24, hit .256 with 22 homers and 53 RBIs in 97 minor league games in 2021. Cusick, 22, was the No. 24 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He went 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA in six appearances last season for the Augusta GreenJackets, a Low-A affiliate of the Braves. Estes, 20, went 3-6 with a 2.91 ERA in 20 appearances last season for the GreenJackets.
The Braves start their spring training schedule against the Minnesota Twins at 1:05 p.m. EDT Friday in North Port, Fla. The Athletics face the Los Angeles Angeles in their first spring training game at 4:05 p.m. Friday in Mesa, Ariz.
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