Big Trades In Braves History: Braves Lay the Foundation Of a Dynasty

The Trade: The Atlanta Braves send Doyle Alexander to the Detroit Tigers for John Smoltz During the 1987 season, the Atlanta Braves were easily out of contention, and decided to trade starting pitcher Doyle Alexander to the Detroit Tigers for a young starting pitcher named John Smoltz. The Tigers were in a heated division race, and needed to add an extra arm to battle the Toronto Blue Jays.   The Players:   Doyle Alexander was in the middle of a respectable campaign in 1987, playing in his 17th major league season. Although he had a 5-10 record, he had a respectable 4.13 ERA. Acquired by Atlanta in the middle of the 1986 season, following two seventeen win campaigns while with the Blue Jays, Alexander was a veteran pitcher that the Tigers targeted to make a run at the postseason. Alexander provided immediate dividends to the Tigers, as he posted an astounding 9-0 record and 1.53 ERA while with the team, which ended up winning their division by two games over the Blue Jays....