Rodrigo Lopez "expects to decide to sign" with either the Braves, Mets or Rockies by the end of the weekend, reports ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (ESPN Insider subscription required). All three contracts are non-roster invitations to Spring Training, with various performances bonuses attached.
Lopez, 35, allowed a league-high 37 homers and 111 earned runs last season, posting a 5.00 ERA and a 2.07 K/BB ratio in 33 starts with Arizona. Lopez has already played for the Rockies (in 2007) and has also pitched for the Padres, Orioles and Phillies in his nine-year Major League career, missing the 2008 season due to Tommy John surgery.
Nooooooooooo Braves!!!!
Minor league contract = no harm done.
With all the pitching the Braves have, I see almost no use for Lopez other than depth. I doubt they’d even need to use him.
I agree that minor league deals usually aren’t harmful, but like you said the braves have lots of pitching (especially younger ones like brandon beachy and mike minor) trying to fight to major league innings already. A minor league deal isn’t the end of the world, but I don’t see any way he gets any major league innings unless the braves have major pitching staff injuries
After looking at the numbers, I dont think the Braves should bother with Rodrigo. Just let Kenshin pitch out of the bullpen if you are willing to accept this set of skills. I was inclined to think that R.Lopez isnt that bad, having watching him fill in for the Phillies (and manage to find a spot starting all year with the Dbacks), but his numbers last year aren’t even as good as the Braves’ other option for long relief, Cristhian Martinez. Why get Lopez when you have better options on the verge of heading to AAA???
Long man out the pen/eat trash innings?
Edit: I forgot they had Kawakami for that role
hope he catches on with the Mets so we can laugh at them even more
I also don’t understand why the Braves would be looking to add Lopez. Even at a depth move they have Beachy, Kawakami, Todd Redmond, Christian Martinez, Randall Delgado, Yohan Flande and many more. The Braves make it sound like moving Kawakami is the most important move left, then you read that are in the process of (possibly) adding someone who is worse than the guy they are trying to move. If I were the GM of a team wanting to trade for Kawakami, I would just sign someone like Lopez would can give you a 4.70+ ERA and an XFIP of around 4.70 for about $5 million less than what KK would cost you…
Seriously? Lopez is worse than Kawakami. Please don’t choose the Braves.
Give it 30 minutes and Dave O’Brien will tweet that this is as ridiculous as it sounds. The Braves have no use for this guy, At this point, Lopez would need to pay Atlanta $400k just to be invited to spring training.
Uh, no thanks.
Sincerely,
A Braves Fan
What Arizona is doing with Micah Owings made sense for us. But instead we’re wasting money on Proctor, and now interested in Rodrigo Lopez?
I doubt the Braves have any interest. This is an agent fishing to create interest.
Not sure why the Braves would want to do this.