MINNEAPOLIS -- Braves general manager John Coppolella has long shown a willingness to quickly flip players who have exceeded expectations and gained unexpected trade value. But none of the previous quick flips rivaled the one realized Wednesday, when the Braves traded starting pitcher Lucas Harrell and left-handed reliever Dario Alvarez to the Rangers for Travis Demeritte, who has quickly developed into one of the game's top power-hitting prospects.
"It's a great credit to our pro scouting staff and a great credit to our coaching staff that we were able to get these players who weren't with the Braves nine weeks ago and then put them in spots where they had a lot of success," Coppolella said.