Per Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News, the Braves have acquired outfielder Matt Joyce from the Giants for cash considerations. It’ll be the third team this week for the 34-year-old Joyce, who was released Tuesday by Cleveland after the team informed him he wouldn’t crack the Opening Day roster.
Joyce enjoyed a late-career renaissance in 2016 with Pittsburgh, slashing .242/.403/.463 (136 wRC+), and again the following season in Oakland, where his 2.7 fWAR was a career best. He fell back to earth last season, though, posting an 89 wRC+ and just 0.2 fWAR in a 246 plate appearances, the vast majority of which came against right-handed pitching.
The lefty-swinging Joyce has long exhibited one of the game’s most pronounced left/right splits, slashing a career .250/.351/.451 (121 wRC+) against righties, versus just .184/.267/.306 (61 wRC+) against same-side arms. Despite the down year in ’18, Joyce’s 35% hard-hit rate was one of the highest of his career, and he maintained his always-robust walk rates, checking in at 14.2% to end the season.
He’ll serve as an ideal corner-outfield depth piece for Atlanta, and perhaps even an upgrade over incumbent Nick Markakis in right field (Steamer projects the two at an identical 102 wRC+). Despite trading for the plummeting Adam Duvall late last season, Atlanta was decidedly light on experienced corner options, so the Joyce signing seems a savvy one indeed.
Not sure where he fits since he’s a lefty bat
Wait…he’s not a righty bat that’s better than Adam Duvall…
I remembered, Joyce signed a minor league deal with the Giants not long ago about 1-3 days ago.
Meh. Bench bat at best right now, if he makes the roster. Had somewhat of a resurgence in 2017, but wasn’t much of an impact player last season. I’m indifferent.
Tomlin, now Joyce…. dumpster diving 101 and typical. Only problem is next week better players will be dumped by teams.
Can’t wait for the spin, veteran bat, utility help and Tomlin could bounce back and be a inning eating veteran leader of a young staff.
I don’t think signing Matt Joyce is going to prevent the braves from getting a better player.
Why are we going after these guys? He’s awful. We already have an awful bench bat. Why not keep Dustin Peterson when we had him? Why not snag Dwight Smith Jr., a speedy young guy with a little potential when we had the chance. All are cheap. Why are we making such questionable moves with better moves are out there or have been out there. Just very puzzling
It’s a minor league deal, there is 0 risk.
What are you talking about? My complaint isn’t that there is risk. My complaint is the decision making process on small transactions like these are quite stupid. We could have young players who are top 30 type prospects with some, albeit limited, potential. Instead, we continue to over pay bad veterans who have almost a 0% chance of playing for us. Dustin Peterson would be a great #4 OF for us. No reason to keep Duvall or sign Joyce.
As a Braves fan, I never understood the hype for Peterson. His minor league career OPS is below 700, enough said. I’d rather chance it with Duvall. At least Joyce is better than having crap like Danny Santana come up from triple A.
Remember when AA got Anibal Sanchez dumpster diving last year for a minor league deal?
Fact is, the reward greatly outweighs the risk in all of these deals. Just 1, like that, working out is worth 10-15 failures. Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.
yeah much like Ryan Flarety & Preston Tucker last year too dumpster diving. Those two carried the Braves the first few weeks of season…you never know who will make an impact
And thanks to Tucker, they got Duvall!
Tucker wasn’t exactly dumpster diving and neither was Sanchez. Tucker was young top 30 type player worth taking a flyer on. Sanchez has had a pretty solid career, and although looked to be over, showed he had some left in the tank. Flarety was dumpster diving and didn’t work out. Started the season hot but really didn’t have a good season. Mgmt might have struck gold with Sanchez but going after younger players with potential and some experience is better than bad vets who have always been bad.
I do like Peterson. But my take on him is he is a great bench bat that still has a little time to blossom into something better. Especially as a 4th outfielder, which generates some decent playing time. Joyce isn’t gonna do anything for us.
He’s not going to help them at all. I predict another release and Texas signs him.
Roulette!
Don’t understand this one not even enough time to impress would much rather had signed Maybin instead.
Idk, I’m a fan of these no risk signings.. Think I’m just so tired of watching them sit on their hands.m
Can’t hide my excitement for acuna to sign an extension and to have pache and waters join him out there, that OF is guna be absolutely LIT!
Matt Joyce: My Tour Through 30 Teams in One Season, coming to book stores in 2020.
I would rather see them sign Julio Franco than Duvall or Joyce and he s 60 years old
Are have pache start in the big leagues. At this point I would start pache in right and have kakes as the 4th outfielder. Pache had an awesome spring
Hmmm…I expected to read today that the Braves released Duvall and signed Maybin. This is a bit of a head-scratcher.
No wonder the Braves have been so cheap this offseason. Just saving up for this signing.
Why isn’t Cristian Pache the 4th outfielder? Other than Acuna, he looks like the next superstar.
Because he is young and needs to play everyday
Use your head he still needs developmental time and sitting on the bench and playing once or twice a week doesn’t provide him that
He could start over markakis who cares about service time the guy is crushing it right now why not see if pache can carry over this momentum for the big league club instead of taking at the minors
Punctuation is your friend.
Those who do care about service time (and development as well) are the true fans of their teams. Who is stupid enough to swap basically two weeks of service time for another year of control? I have enough patience to wait.
To be honest even with the service time concerns I seriously doubt Atlanta really considers Pache an option to start in the bigs. He has excelled in a very small sample size after not showing much,in his AA stint in 2018. He has made some obvious improvements, but lets see a bit more before his development may be scarred forever like so many rushed too fast.
Anyone thinking pache is guna see a sniff of the big leagues better get a grip..love him but theres time .
Why hurt his development by only playing him a couple times a week. He needs to be in the minors getting at bats every day.
“and perhaps even an upgrade over incumbent Nick Markakis”
Wow
yeah I thought the same when I read that. Markakis is coming off an allstar year…i gets no respect! (rodney dangerfield voice)
Agreed.
Especially not defensively. Offensively, even if Joyce’s WRC is decent and ISO is fine, Markakis is so much more wellrounded.
Why did the Braves fail to claim Pedro Severino, best AAA catcher in NL East
Can’thopoulos living in the past. Joyce no help at all.
Please, Joyce is no Markakis.
well apparently Steamer projects them the same exact player so it must be true!….analytics sometimes smh, God forbid we actually just watch a player and his abilities sometimes to determine their worth sheesh
The WALL STREET BRAVES looking for a BIG return for a small moneu investment.
SIGN KIMBALL.STOP BUYING THESE CHEAP PLAYERS.BOBBY COX RETIRED.BRAVES WHAT COME FIRST BUSINESS or WINNING??Answer that question you find out your priority because the young players you now want stay in ATLANTA because MANAGEMENT showing now they are CHEAP.THEyoung braves you see now will be playing for the YANKEES,braves do not care look how they treating KIMBALL
SIGN KIMBALL.STOP BUYING THESE CHEAP PLAYERS.BOBBY COX RETIRED.BRAVES WHAT COME FIRST BUSINESS or WINNING??Answer that question you find out your priority because the young players you now want stay in ATLANTA because MANAGEMENT showing now they are CHEAP.
SIGN KIMBALL.STOP BUYING THESE CHEAP PLAYERS.BOBBY COX RETIRED
SIGN KIMBALLL NAO
Calm down dude, the Braves exceeded expectations last season. I’d say they’re doing an alright job. Joyce doesn’t make a lot of sense anywhere, but it could always be worse. They could have signed Michael Saunders.
It’s kimbrel bro but I agree
Yet, they still have amongst the worst rotation in the majors!
Why do people always come back with the 0 risk argument ? But there’s also 0 benefit. So what’s the point ?
This guy doesn’t fit in AT ALL. They need a right handed bat and someone with some impact. Stop dumpster diving. Please.
Last sentence… they traded for him not signed him.
Just another award winning move by AA and the cheapskate Braves.
Dumb trade in an offseason that was lacking big signing saw Brantley Machado and Harper sign elsewhere