The Braves have acquired outfielder Adam Duvall from the Miami Marlins in exchange for catcher Alex Jackson. It was the second outfielder Atlanta added prior to Friday’s trade deadline as they also added Eddie Rosario from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Pablo Sandoval.
Duvall, 33 next month, continues to hit for power as he did during his tenure in Atlanta from 2018-2020, batting .229/.277/.478 with a 104 wRC+, 22 home runs, 68 RBI and 1.1 WAR with his usual steady defense. It is worth noting Duvall’s numbers drop off drastically against opponents other than the Braves; his wRC+ is only 78 against non-Atlanta teams in 2021.
It remains unclear exactly how the outfield will shake out with the additions of Duvall and Rosario (who is currently on the injured list), but it would seem likely Duvall will find himself in left field more times than not.
Duvall has a mutual option on his contract for 2022. The Braves can either pay him $7M in salary or pay his $3M buyout. Essentially, they will have to decide if they want Duvall for $4M next year. He is owed approximately $500K the rest of 2021.
Alex Jackson was hitting well with Triple-A Gwinnett, but he is yet to find his footing at the big league level with a career .070 batting average across 50 plate appearances. Here’s hoping the 25-year-old backstop can figure a few things out in Miami.