Brewers Acquire Patrick Weigel, Chad Sobotka From Braves For Orlando Arcia

Seeking depth for their infield and bench, the Braves on Tuesday swung a trade with the Brewers. The deal brings Orlando Arcia to Atlanta in exchange for a pair of upper-level righthanders with big league experience.

Arcia, once the Brewers’ top prospect, peaked at No. 8 on BA’s Top 100 Prospects list in 2016. Weigel entered the year ranked No. 14 among the Braves’ Top 30 Prospects list, while Sobotka peaked at No. 22 entering the 2019 season.

BRAVES ACQUIRE

Orlando Arcia, SS
Age: 26

Once one of the best prospects in the game, Arcia has struggled to hit consistently in the big leagues, working to a career OPS over parts of six seasons in Milwaukee. He achieved career highs in all three triple-slash categories during the shortened 2020 season. Arcia should provide a solid backup to both Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson once he clears Covid protocol.

BREWERS ACQUIRE

Patrick Weigel, RHP

Age: 26

After earning Atlanta’s Pitcher of the Year award in 2016, Weigel had Tommy John part of the way through 2017 and missed nearly all of 2018 as well. He made his big league debut this past September. At his best, Weigel’s fastball sits in the mid 90s and can touch around 98 with solid carry through the zone in shorter stints. At the alternate training site in 2020, Weigel worked to reshape his slider into a version with more horizontal break. He mixes in a changeup that flashes average, but he’ll need to improve his control to remain a starter.

Chad Sobotka, RHP
Age: 27

Sobotka was the Braves’ fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft and made his big league debut in 2018. He’s bounced up and down between Triple-A and the big leagues since then, settling in as a low-leverage reliever. He works primarily with a mid-90s four-seam fastball and a low-80s slider, the latter of which he uses as his out pitch. Though he threw the slider just 30 times in 2020, the pitch registered an average spin rate of 2,956 rpms. For reference, Trevor Bauer’s led the big leagues in 2020 with an average spin rate of 2,951 rpms. Sobotka should fill the same role with the Brewers as he did with the Braves.

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