The Atlanta Braves acquired the No. 35 pick in the upcoming MLB draft from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for three prospects Monday.
The pick headed to the Braves is a competitive-balance pick, slotted between the first and second rounds.
The Royals get center fielder Drew Waters, right-hander Andrew Hoffmann and Double-A third baseman CJ Alexander. The Royals added Waters to their 40-man roster and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha.
Waters, 23, was the 41st pick of the 2017 draft. He is batting .246 in 49 games at Triple-A this season.
Hoffmann was selected in the 12th round of the 2021 draft, and he’s 7-2 with a 2.36 ERA in High-A this season. He has 90 strikeouts in 80 innings. The Royals are sending him to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
Alexander, who has also played first, is batting .258 with 15 home runs at Double-A Mississippi this season. He turns 26 this month.
The competitive-balance picks are given to small-market, low-revenue teams. The pick going to the Braves is slotted at $2.2 million.
The MLB draft is Sunday.
–Field Level Media