Braves deal Ellis, Gant, Dykstra for hurler

After years of acquiring big prospects, the Braves find themselves in a position to cash in.

Atlanta dealt pitching prospects John Gant and Chris Ellis and Minor League infielder Luke Dykstra to St. Louis for big league veteran Jaime Garcia on Thursday.

This is the second consecutive offseason that Ellis, who becomes the Cardinals No. 24 prospect, has been traded. The Alabama native was sent to Atlanta from the Angels as part of the package that sent Andrelton Simmons to Anaheim. The 24-year-old made 28 appearances combined for Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett in 2016, pitching to a 4.49 ERA and 1.43 WHIP between the two levels.

Gant is the only player going to St. Louis that has already made his Major League debut. The 24-year-old posted a 4.86 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 20 games -- seven starts -- becomes the Cardinals No. 27 prospect. In 56 innings with Gwinnett, Gant sported a 4.18 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. This is also the second time Gant has been traded. The Georgia native was dealt to the Braves from the Mets in July 2015 for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. 

"Having Jaime part of our organization, I was perfectly comfortable with," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said to MLB.com. "But as things were unfolding, it looked like we had a chance to add three quality players into our system, and we wanted to do that."

Dykstra spent all of 2016 with Class A Rome. The 21-year-old slashed .304/.332/.363 with 41 RBIs in 81 contests for the R-Braves this season. The 21-year-old second baseman was taken in the seventh round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He is the son of former Major Leaguer Lenny Dykstra. 

"The thing about him that we were most attracted to was his ability to hit," Mozeliak said to MLB.com. "He's still young, so power could eventually come. But I do think when you look at his ability to get on base, it's trending in the right direction. He could clearly take more walks, but he puts the ball in play and has had success."

Garcia has spent his entire career with St. Louis. The 30-year-old Mexico native made his debut with the Cardinals in 2008 and owns a career ERA of 3.57 and 1.28 WHIP in 896 innings. He is the third seasoned arm that the Braves have added to their starting rotation this year. Earlier in the offseason the club signed R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon to help anchor the staff.