Cubs acquire infielder La Stella from Braves

The Cubs had high hopes for pitcher Arodys Vizcaino when they acquired him from the Braves in July of 2012.

On Sunday, they traded him back to the Braves for infielder Tommy La Stella. The Cubs got Atlanta's No. 4 international signing bonus slot and sent their Nos. 2, 3 and 4 international signing bonus slots to the Braves.

La Stella, 25, is a left-handed batter who made his big-league debut this year with the Braves, putting up a line of .251/.328/.317 with 16 doubles, 1 homer and 31 RBI in 93 games. The Braves took him in the eighth round of the 2011 draft, and in parts of four minor-league seasons, he had a line of .322/.407/.471.

The Cubs got Vizcaino from the Braves in a trade that sent left-handed pitcher Paul Maholm and outfielder Reed Johnson to Atlanta on July 30, 2012. In March of '12, Vizcaino underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and missed all of that season as well as the 2013 campaign.

He appeared in 5 games for the Cubs this past season, going 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA.

La Stella has played nothing but second base in his professional career. The Cubs currently have Javier Baez at second base and Starlin Castro at shortstop, with Arismendy Alcantara capable of playing second base as well as center field. Minor-league shortstop Addison Russell, acquired this past season from Oakland, is considered one of the top prospects in baseball.

It's possible the Cubs will trade a middle infielder this off-season. It's also possible they like La Stella's approach at the plate as evidenced by his minor-league performance and that they're trying to add more hitters with on-base ability to their inventory.