Braves rudely trade Rangers fan favorite back to AL West in annoying twist

Who had early May in the office pool regarding the end of Jonah Heim's tenure with the Atlanta Braves?

The 30-year-old had a whirlwind start to the week following a release from the Braves, whom he signed a one-year deal with this winter, and was later traded to a Rangers' AL West foe and the team he made his MLB Debut with in the Athletics.

Heim's Arlington reunion still unlikely, depsite joining A's

When Heim signed with Atlanta, there was a big question mark on if he'd even still be rostered by the Braves by the time Texas rolled into Truist Park following the All-Star Break in July for a matchup with their old World Series champion backstop. The overall consensus was no way and he's now gone on May 6.

Now, since he joined the A's, you'd think his chances rise to pretty likely he'd play against Texas sometime soon, right? Well, since the A's and Rangers wrapped up seven games against each other in April, they will not see each other again until August 14-16 in Sacramento.

The Athletics acquired the catcher for cash on Tuesday following Shea Langeliers placement on the paternity leave. While he currently has a spot due to that, the A's are still heavily fortified at the catcher position and it's hard to tell where Heim fits into that.

A seven-year veteran, Heim is a career .225 hitter, with 69 home runs, 290 RBIs, 419 strikeouts, 155 walks and a 7.1 career WAR in 620 games. He's famous in Texas for being the fearless leader of the Rangers' pitching staff during their championship in 2023, which has been the best season of his career.

In 12 games this season, Heim batted .231 with a home run, eight RBIs and four doubles with the Braves. His release and trade happened as a corresponding move to Sean Murphy's return from the injured list.

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