Atlanta pitcher, D-backs first-round pick Toussaint called up by Braves
Aug 13, 2018, 7:17 AM | Updated: 8:00 am
(AP Photos/Susan Walsh)
(AP Photos/Susan Walsh)
The Arizona Diamondbacks are about to get the first glimpse of the fallout from a trade made in 2015.
A little more than three years ago, the D-backs traded their 2014 first-round draft pick, Touki Toussaint. Now, Toussaint will be making his major league debut on Monday for the Atlanta Braves in a doubleheader.
The #Braves today selected RHP Touki Toussaint from Triple-A Gwinnett, optioned him to the Stripers and appointed him the 26th man for today’s doubleheader.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 13, 2018
The move by Arizona was largely considered a salary dump. Toussaint was sent as incentive for the D-backs to dump Bronson Arroyo’s contract, worth up to $13 million, on the Braves, according to Ken Rosenthal.
The D-backs received Phil Gosselin in the deal, an infielder who hit .283 in a little over a year with the team. He was traded to the Pirates for minor-league pitcher Frank Duncan in February of 2017. Duncan was released by the Jackson Generals, the D-backs’ Double-A affiliate, in late March.
At the time, it was a move that received heavy criticism, especially considering the fact the D-backs had just signed a $1.5 billion TV deal, according to MLB.com.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA #dbacks
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) June 21, 2015
Toussaint has remained a top prospect, ranking No. 7 in the Braves’ loaded farm system on MLB Pipeline and No. 76 overall. Toussaint would have been ranked as the second-best D-backs prospect by MLB Pipeline.
After he did not start his scheduled appearance in Triple-A on Friday, Atlanta Journal & Constitution reporter Gabe Burns reported that Toussaint is lined up to make his major league debut for the Braves on Monday.
Toussaint has been on fire this season, recording a 2.01 ERA and 2-0 record in five games with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate. He began the season in Double-A, but after throwing for a 2.93 ERA over 16 starts, he got promoted.
Toussaint, the No. 16 pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, won’t turn 23 years old until June of next year.
