Braves acquire Mets prospects Whalen, Gant

NEW YORK -- The Mets traded No. 18 prospect Rob Whalen and fellow right-handed starter John Gant to the Braves on Friday for veteran infielders Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, according to multiple reports.

Selected in the 12th round of the 2012 Draft, Whalen has spent the entire season with Class A Advanced St. Lucie, where he's 4-5 with a 3.36 ERA in 15 games, including 14 starts, over 83 innings. He has 61 strikeouts and 34 walks while holding opponents to a .231 average.

Whalen, who was slowed by a hand injury last season, is a ground-ball pitcher who features a sinking fastball, a changeup and a curveball. He was 9-2 with a 1.94 ERA in 14 games in 2014, mostly with Class A Savannah. The 21-year-old is 16-9 with a 2.43 ERA in 42 Minor League outings, fanning 201 and walking 72 over 226 innings across three levels.

Gant, 22, was the Mets' 21st-round pick in 2011 out of Wiregrass Ranch High School in Florida. He's split this season between St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton, going 6-5 with a 3.52 ERA and 91 strikeouts over 99 2/3 innings in 17 starts. The 6-foot-3 hurler is 26-19 with a 3.38 ERA in 362 1/3 innings since 2011 and was a Florida State League postseason All-Star last year after getting named a South Atlantic League midseason All-Star. He was also a New York-Penn League All-Star with Class A Short Season Brooklyn in 2013.

Uribe, 36, and Johnson, 33, both provide options for the Mets at third base as David Wright remains sidelined with a back injury. Uribe, in the final year of a two-year contract, is hitting .285 with seven homers, 17 RBIs and a .353 on-base percentage in 46 games for the Braves.

Johnson, the Braves' first-round pick in 2000, returned to Atlanta this year after playing for the D-backs, Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles. He's hitting .275 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 62 games.