5:31pm: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that Collmenter is actually more likely to help the Braves’ Major League roster and could even draw a start for the Braves on Saturday. With right-hander Williams Perez sidelined by an elbow impingement after a pair of rough starts earlier this month (via O’Brien on Twitter), it seems that Collmenter will be a depth piece at the big league level.
Collmenter entered the season with exactly five years of service time and won’t reach the requisite 172 days to move up to six years of MLB service time, so he can be controlled through the 2017 season via arbitration if the Braves wish.
5:23pm: The Braves announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Josh Collmenter from the Cubs in exchange for cash. The longtime D-backs hurler joins fellow righty Joe Wieland as the second pitcher picked up by the Braves today in exchange for cash.
The 30-year-old Collmenter was the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day starter as recently as 2015 but lost his rotation spot after a poor start to that season. Collmenter thrived in a bullpen role for his final 52 innings in 2015 and remained in the ’pen to open the 2016 campaign. (The offseason additions of Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller and the return of Patrick Corbin from the disabled list all but closed the door on a return to the rotation.) In 22 1/3 innings of relief work this season, however, Collmenter labored to a 4.84 ERA and was ultimately released by the D-backs. He went on to ink a minor league pact with the Cubs and posted a 2.25 ERA across 16 Triple-A innings with his new organization, though his 9-to-8 K/BB ratio wasn’t especially encouraging.
Collmenter, like Wieland, will give Atlanta some pitching depth as the team’s Triple-A affiliate continues on in the playoffs. But, like Wieland, he’ll also be able to elect free agency at season’s end if he’s not added to the 40-man roster, so his time with the Braves organization could potentially be quite brief in nature.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I guess if you need a pitcher for the minor league playoffs.?.?.?.?
Or if you are the Braves at the major league level
I like this one. No idea why he’s been so up and down in recent years (injuries?) but he was real good for a season or two in AZ a while back. Took no real assets to get him and who knows, maybe everyone in ATL gets lucky and he can relive those ’13 and ’14 seasons. Or maybe he just makes one or two starts and leaves at season’s end. That’s fine too for as little as it took to get him here.
I’m good from a Cubs perspective. I’f they got a BOGO at a local Ruby Tuesday’s, that beats losing him to free agency. I hope he does well for the Braves.
Jokes on you, most of the ruby Tuesday’s just closed :p we got your left over crap for free!!!!… Wait :/
I have to say this is a puzzling move. Even if the braves somehow make the postseason this year, which i realize is a long shot, mr collementer will not b eligible for the postseason roster. Sure braves r on the outside looking in at the moment but certainly stranger things have happened.
They are 20.5 games back in the wildcard race. Get real…
Haha funny, they are 20 games out with like 15 games to go
Braves aren’t making the playoffs, let’s be honest. I applaud you for standing by your team though. With that aside now, he is just there to eat up innings, maybe be resigned, and again used to eat up innings. If he does well, he’ll be traded for a prospect or cash. Rinse wash repeat for the braves.
I, for one, would like to hear about these “stranger things” that have happened.
Does the 2016 presidential campaign count?
he said strange, not downright depressing
No…
Literally nothing stranger has happened.
Aliens would have to abduct 5 NL teams (and their minor league squads) for the Braves to even have a remote shot at making the playoffs. Then they’d still have to significantly outplay the remaining top teams until the end of the season.
So like others have said….stranger things haven’t happened. Not in the game of baseball. Not in the world.
…they’re already eliminated from playoff contention?
Collmenter is definitely a buy low candidate who enjoyed success previously at the big league level. The braves will control him cheaply for next season. Basically a very low risk move.
He’s a free-agent this off-season, if he wants to be.
Only if he’s not added to the 40-man, and it sounds like the Braves are going to at least give him a start. Granted, they could outright him at season’s end, but he doesn’t have the service time to hit free agency otherwise.
If the Braves somehow make the playoffs this year!!! Haha and I thought I was a dreamer
Want pitchers to eat up innings so they don’t need to start the service clock on minor league arms?