The Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves consummated the second major trade of the offseason at the general managers meetings on Thursday evening. The Angels will send Erick Aybar, Sean Newcomb, and Chris Ellis to the Atlanta Braves for Andrelton Simmons and Jose Briceno. The deal closed the door on a series of rumors involving Simmons and the Braves. Of course, with any move like this, there are a number of moving parts, so let’s break down the details.

Why the Angels do this deal

Simmons has spent three whole seasons and one partial season at the big league level. He has never had less than 2.4 dWAR in that span of time. Suffice it to say, any player that amasses more than two wins defensively is a pretty special fielder. Simmons has averaged more than four defensive wins per season in his three full seasons. Somehow, he managed not to win the Gold Glove this season despite being the best defensive shortstop in the game. Simmons is clearly the best player in the deal, and the Angels had to surrender pitching depth they probably can’t afford to surrender, but they aren’t getting a rental. Simmons is signed through 2020, so the Angels just strengthened their everyday lineup for the next several years.

Briseno is a solid catch and throw catcher that is still only 23 years old. However, he’s never played an inning above A+ ball, so he is at least a year away from being a factor for the Angels. At any rate, he doesn’t appear to be a better option than Carlos Perez in the long-term. That being said, the Angels are due to lose Chris Iannetta in free agency, so any catching depth they can get their hands on is probably a good idea at this point.

Why the Braves do this deal

The Braves strategy over the last couple of seasons has remained consistent throughout. They are essentially clearing the decks for 2017 when their new stadium will open. The paint was barely dry on Turner Field before they decided they needed something better, but that’s beside the point. Aybar will make 8.5 million this season but will become a free agent following the 2016 season. The Braves have a young prospect (Ozhaino Albies) who they like long-term at shortstop. Getting Aybar buys them a year of development without tying them down to a long-term contract like the one Simmons had. Offensively, it might be an upgrade as Aybar has been a consistent performer for a decade. Obviously, they lose the all-world defense that Simmons provided.

Sean Newcomb pitched at three different levels in 2015 and combined to go 9-3 with a 2.38 ERA. At 22, he likely spends another year at the minor league level before he debuts in Atlanta, but he was a legitimate top 100 prospect according to Baseball America and MLB.com coming into 2015. He likely will see his rating improve before next season. Ellis is not as highly regarded, but he did finish 2015 with a 11-9 record and 3.90 ERA between high A and AA. Like Newcomb, he is still fairly young and will likely see another season in the minors before coming up.

What this deal means for you

Erick Aybar is a fringe fantasy prospect in mixed leagues, and this trade doesn’t change that for him. Simmons is an interesting question. In his first two seasons, he managed an OPS north of .700 and hit a robust 20 home runs in just over 800 plate appearances. Unfortunately, the power has gone the last two seasons, and he’s been a fantasy dud. Will a change of scenery make a difference for him? It’s clear that there was no one in the Braves lineup that could compare to Mike Trout or Albert Pujols, so we can bet that his counting numbers will spike at the very least. If his power returns, then he could return to everyday status as a fantasy player.