Frank Wren, unimpressed with the Braves current form, has traded Mark Teixeira to the Angels in return for 1B Casey Kotchman and pitcher Steven Marek.

This deal came about for three reasons:

1. Injuries: Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson were recently put on the DL.  Hudson may be forced to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season.

2. Losses: Not only did the Braves lose the last two games of the series in Philadelphia, but they led by 6 runs in the first game and 5 runs in the finale.

3. Free Agent: Texeira is a free agent at the end of the year and the Braves would not have been able to shell out the big money to resign him.  Therefore they went for experience in Kotchman rather than two compensational picks they would have received if they kept Teixeira till the end of the season.

Oh yeah and the Angels wanted him.

Casey Kotchman is hitting .287 with 12 HRs and 54 RBIs, while reliever Steven Marek has gone 2-6 with a 3.66 ERA at Double-A Ball.

The Braves are building for next year and this a good move in my opinion.