The Braves have announced that they’ve signed righty Jordan Walden to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. He will receive $1M if he’s in the Majors, plus a possible $2MM in incentives, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets.
The 28-year-old Walden had strong seasons in Atlanta in 2013 and 2014 before heading to St. Louis in the Jason Heyward/Shelby Miller deal two years ago. He managed just 10 1/3 big-league innings in two seasons with the Cardinals, however, before being undone by lat, shoulder and biceps issues. He was reportedly healthy coming into Spring Training this season, but he never ended up pitching competitively this year. The Cardinals recently declined his $5.25MM 2017 option, paying him a $250K buyout instead.
When healthy, Walden features a mid-90s fastball and a good slider, and he has a terrific 10.8 K/9 for his career, to go with a 3.00 ERA and 3.9 BB/9. Obviously, though, after two years of injury trouble, it remains to be seen how effective he’ll be once he returns.
That is awesome. In the Heyward trade I hated to see him go. Hope he can return to form.
Honestly after throwing 10 IP in two seasons you think he will be healthy?
Blame MM he broke Walden with 10 IP in less then 2 weeks to start a season.
Classic Coppy. No risk, high reward who also happens to have a solid background pitching for the franchise and could be a salt in the wound to STL if he rebounds. Would love for Walden to rebound and STL need relief pitching come the playoffs…lol. Kelly Johnson 2.0?
Rehabilitation is a function of time.
Thanks Walden for all the great memories in St. Louis
Lol good one
It’s funny all those players are gone
I do not really have good memories about Walden in St Louis because he was hurt almost most of the time he spent over there.It was not his fault, however if he is healthy it does not hurt having him in the bullpen.Not a bad signing, Braves.
good sign if he stays somewhat healthy
So they traded Miller and Jenkins for 1 year of Heyward and roughly 1 week of Walden..oh well, moving on
I don’t know if you could of got the same return as the Braves, but what if you kept Miller and got the same return as the Braves did.
Miller got such a good return based on a career year in ATL – do you think he was on the verge of that in STL? Some guys need a change of scenery and recently ATL has done well with providing that and getting maximum performance.
He basically had the same year as 2015 in 2013.
Miller had a career year pitching in a pitchers park. St. Louis is a fair park, Arizona is a hitters park.
I’m saying 2015 wasn’t a career year if you only judge by the stats because I’ve never seen him pitch.
Espn ranks Busch Stadium as a more pitcher friendly park than Turner. Your argument doesn’t work.
espn.com/fantasy/baseball/story/_/page/mlbdk2k16_p…
Giving Walden this miLB deal by Hart is a better move than teams chasing after Holland for big millions when he’s barely cracking 90mph. Walden, even if he can only go half a season with his weird jump delivery can be a decent 8th inning guy the 2nd half of the season that throws upper 90’s and sometimes touches 100 with movement as remember from his Angels days.
Great signing by my Braves. Veteran depth for the bullpen.
Now get Miguel Montero cheap and split him with Flowers for a year and go hard for LuCroy next year.
I’ll give it to you – that’s the best chain of events I’ve seen about filling the catching need, though signing Lucroy won’t be easy (even though that FA class won’t be a great one).
If they get Montero cheap, they’ll be giving up prospects. Because if the Cubs eat any money to make that cheap for Atlanta, you can bet they’ll want a decent prospect in return! (He’s not a FA)
I think he more meant get him for cheap in terms of prospects…coming off a down year, is expensive, Cubs don’t really need him, etc. If the Braves did that and then went all out for Lucroy next year, that would be quite savvy
I’m willing to bet it’d take a lot less (prospects/salary relief) to get Montero than McCann with a lot less committed, leaving the possibility of a Lucroy sign.
While other GMs keep talking about what they’re going to do, in 3 days Coppy/Hart have signed 2 former Cy Young winners and filled a presumed 350-400 innings between 2 40-year olds: Colon/Dickey, while adding a RP with closing experience (Walden) for about $20M total.
Let’s see what they can do in 4 days.
The Cardinals trade to Atlanta was purely one-sided. Look at what ATL got for Miller. Everything goes back to the death of Oscar Taveras. Stupidity.
In the same context, I wonder what moves MIA will make to try and fill their rotation. I do not envy their front office’s position.
I was on board for a Castro or Wieters signing but as it looks now we are not going all out for next year so since that is the case may as well get a left handed compliment for Flowers that you won’t have to overpay for this year in terms of years. Gives Montero the opportunity for more at bats to prove himself for another contract. It’s not like it’s gonna cost us a Top 10 prospect. Clears a lot of money for the Cubs. Then next year go hard for LuCroy.
Off season still isnt over still pleanty of time to go and get that elite catcher
I think Castro is best fit for the Braves right now. He’s left handed, Flowers is a righty. Good platoon with quality defense either way.
I like this signing. No risk and high reward.
Lol, that trade is still so funny to me! We trade a slightly above average RF for pitching prospect and starter which we tarde for top of the line future SS, pitching prospect, and Elite CF/Leadoff Man!! Haha, Cardinals are idiots!
hindsight is always 20/20… needed badly to fill the hole in RF after Tavares passed and thought they were getting a middle-of-the-order type of bat that played a gold glove RF, too. Little did they know they would get and turn loose a guy who will never be a core player, which the cards needed badly, and would eventually turn into one of the highest paid 4th outfielders in baseball relegated to a bench role in the playoffs. Plus,throw in a guy they thought was a high leverage reliever that GMs pay big bucks for now, but who was evidently content with rehabbing rather than playing. Tell me if I’m wrong, but didn’t he turn down surgery to try and rehab his way back, going against a doctor’s advice to HAVE the surgery? pretty much stole all that money from the cardinals.