The Braves will select the contract of right-hander Jeremy Walker, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). Walker will be activated for tonight’s contest, taking the place of optioned righty Wes Parsons.
Walker put himself on the MLB radar with a strong showing to open the year in the upper minors. Previously a starter, the former fifth-round pick has functioned in a multi-inning relief capacity this season.
The results have been fairly compelling. Through 69 2/3 innings over 26 total appearances, Walker carries a 2.84 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and just 1.0 BB/9. He has generated grounders on well over half of the balls put in play against him and allowed just a pair of homers this season.
While it seems Walker is well-positioned to take his first crack at the majors, and he’d have needed a 40-man roster spot next fall for Rule 5 protection, adding him now will certainly impact the number of slots the club has to work with as it tweaks its roster in advance of the trade deadline. Improving the back of the pen still seems like a priority. Whether the team will end up jettisoning some veterans and/or trading valuable youngsters from its 40-man remains to be seen.
Guess Carle will be the one getting DFAed. If I counted correctly Gohara’s free agency will be delayed a year if he’s not called up today, so the braves should probably wait until Thursday before they bring him up and stick him on the 60 day IL.
They won’t bring him to the mlb roster to get paid mlb $ when he won’t throw a pitch this year.
Yeah, after Parsons’ performance last night, I figured I’d seem sent down today. Hopefully, Walker can get the job done at the big-league level.
The most glaring name on the ML roster that has been underperforming is AJ Minter. We all know he has potential and the team has been pretty high on that. I just wonder if he’d be better off elsewhere and if another team might be compelled to accept him in a deal for somebody who can actually help the club now.
As for the 40-man, I think they’d certainly be willing to include the likes of Allard, Gohara, or maybe even Touki and Wright (amongst a few others that they’d move with less reservations). I don’t think the “number of slots the club has to work with…in advance of the trade dealine” will be an issue at all.
Doesn’t really make sense to trade Minter. He can go back to the minors and work on stuff.
It does for a couple reasons. First, he is generally seen as a guy who has potential (or at least has been). I don’t see it. But, if I’m wrong that means he has value and might help in bringing something better back.
Second, this article was about 40-man roster slots. If we’re looking for guys to move off the 40-man to clear space for deals next week, then I’d start with him.
Except He really hasn’t been bad since coming back from AAA.
He doesn’t really have potential though, he just throws hard. He can’t locate and has no secondary pitches.
^ thank you! It’s time to cut bait with some of these “potential having” guys and make moves to make a run this October. That Josh Donaldson safety net behind Freeman might not be available next season.
I agree. I wasn’t suggesting that he had potential. I was simply speaking to the general rhetoric, which I incidentally disagree with. Which is why I’d rather see him traded. If we’re in the minority about his value, then maybe another team would be receptive to taking him in a deal.
This is not true. He has a ton of potential and has had stretches where he has dominated. He was touted as the next Kimbrel as a prospect. He just needs consistency and to work on his change. I’m keeping him around for sure despite his struggles
The 40 man and rule 5 are going to be an issue this year. It’s a reason I expect larger trades this deadline. Not sure the rules or whom but have heard it discussed a bunch recently. Sorry for the empty statement.
Hey remember ‘financial flexibility’?! Apparently that was saved for the diesel gas being burned for all these bus trips back forth between Gwinnett and Smyrna… sheesh
I told everyone as that was happening that was a BS line the FO was feeding everyone.
Only the naive actually bought it. Sadly, that included a lot of the people who comment on here trying to defend them in the offseason for not spending
@MJ
Is it really BS? Look where this team is with Folty in AAA and had an era over 6 while he was pitching at the mlb level. Gausman era over 6 then went to the DL. Minter with an era over 7 most of the season. Absolutely nothing from Viz until getting Swarzak back in that trade. Nothing from O’Day. Newcomb moved to the bullpen because he struggled in the rotation. Granted he had been pretty good in the bullpen so far this year.
Think where this team would be if those guys just did what they were projected to do…not any better, but they ALL took step backwards or have had injuries this season.
Despite all this the Braves are still sitting 5.5 games up in the East. I still believe the Braves did the smart thing this past offseason.
Yeah, the bullpen should have been strong with their normal projections. Could we have used another high end arm, sure. But yeah I think under performance covers AA for me to be honest. Guess I’m just naive and not the best armchair GM.
Learned long ago with this management that the Braves are in on everyone is just fodder for the fans and generally little else.
I guess the DK signing doesn’t count in your books.
for the sake of my joke…no, no it doesn’t lol. Seriously tho it’s only 1 signing that wasn’t really that pricey. Have you seen diesel prices right now?! glad we saved up!
Something has to happen soon
I don’t think AA is going to do anything for the rotation especially with how Gausman pitched Sunday night.
And all I see is some minor pickups like Elias & Givens being made.
In all honesty everyone knew the Giants had to sell. AA shoulda had MadBum & Smith at least a month ago. Now With the way the Giants are playing it’s making it harder for them to justify to their fans selling off
I don’t know what this guy is waiting for.
its gotta be the bad teams holding out right now I bet….no need for them to rush and holdout for the best return possible
The price tag is astronomical that’s what he’s waiting for… Pache, Anderson or Waters. No way for a rental.
Yeah I remember when everyone was saying no way on Wright. Good thing we held on to him for all that talent he has!!! Same with Touki
Braves are in win now mode with the team they have at the moment. It’s seriously a good starter and good closer from being a legit WS threat.
They’re playing scared plain and simple. Too afraid to trade a guy that might end up good and have it not work out on their end with the rental. They’re never going to win with the mentality of always preserving tomorrow.
sometimes you keep a Bush and trade a Sandberg. I think with the system the Braves have they’d be wasting their assets if they didn’t trade some for good proven talent, but sometimes you have to choose who keep and sometimes you’re wrong, and sometimes you give up Gleyber Torres to win a world series.
we’ve been preserving for tomorrow for decades, how has that worked out?!..
I’m still waiting on this big wave of great arms coming up thru the system, just like I was 10 years ago. The Braves have not developed a true Ace or even a high end #2 literally since the 90’s. Soroka looks like the real deal and hopefully he’ll be that ‘guy’ we’ve been waiting on. Julio was always topped at a #3….We got stop previously holding on to all the prospects and make some moves
Teheran was a Top 3 prospect in all of baseball at 1 time. If it wasn’t for his contract extension he signed he would be a major disappointment
Exactly good SP and good RP away
That sounds like MadBum &!Wil Smith both of whom are from Brave country I may add and I would think would be open to extensions which they would have an up on other teams to make
Not saying give up Anderson, Pache or Waters not even Saying Wright or Contreras but a Touki, Wilson, Wentz, Allard, Mueller, Tarnock, Minter, Fried, Gohora
They all had higher value that seems to be lost
A shrewd GM is exactly what we needed in this situation. AA has a history of not being afraid so I dont believe it’s that. Just look at last year, we could’ve had JTR. Instead we have Riley (and other) with Mccaan and Flowers. Who won that? I’m my eyes we did by keeping Riley, saving other prospects and more money for similar production (and better defense) at the C spot. So why does this type of leadership make you think he is afraid. AA sets a price and if it’s not met on trade value then he doesnt do it. He has earned his reputation and there is no way you or I know more than him to say right or wrong. We just have the upside of hindsight and zero risk. It’s that simple.
Darkside…you mentioned those outcomes. But the most likely outcome regardless of any moves is not winning the world series. It’s a crap shoot but they trust their system and have valuations set and stick to them. I love this leadership. Think it’s great for our team long term. I’m actually in favor of similar deadline to last year as I think it would be a mistake to trade our top 3 prospects for a CHANCE at a WS this year to which I think we cant win. We just aren’t on the level with the Dodgers, Yankees or Stros even with adding a couple of pieces. So I’d be fine with adding mid level guys and rolling with this team.
Come on man! We can’t give up the next Jose Capellan or Kyle Davies (though that start he made in Boston was a beauty)! /sarcasm
lol Kyle Davies, forgot all about him. Nice reference. He was a part of the ‘Baby Braves’ (wikipedia info, not gonna lie lol)….hmmm sound familiar everyone?! Its ok to trade prospects before you know how good they’ll truly be, just sayin
permission !
interesting they picked this guy instead of a De Paula. guess it’s because he’s local?
I feel like the braves can get creative in trades with guys eligible for rule 5 drafts. Especially to teams rebuilding
Several that need protection are already on the 40 man roster. Would have liked to see the author of this article expound in further detail on who needs to be added vs just dropping that line. Pache is one I’m pretty sure that needs to be added, Beyond that I can’t say for certain.
I just don’t want to lose any because we don’t protect them or give up a roster spot to one not exactly worthy of it and lose something we might need this postseason.
Its going to be a big next week for the Bravos. Their moves could lead to a championship or they could mortgage the future. In AA we have to trust!
I don’t think AA will move away from Pache, Anderson or Waters because if he were I think a deal woulda been done by now.
Nor should he
even if the braves lose multiple good prospects, theyre still very well off. prospects or not, their team is probably the best young team in the league right now, and their system still so deep.
I don’t believe the Giants truly expected any of the untouchable 3. They may have asked but I think that they are smart enough to know the Braves were not moving them.
With that said Wright, Wilson, Touki all have fallen off to the point where I doubt now a deal with the Giants won’t happen unless 1 of the Top 3 is goin back.
Fellow Brave fans get ready for the Givens,Elias, & possibly the Colome’s of the world. Hopefully Folty can turn it around and be the rotation improvement this team needs.
The top prospects are untouchable and the next level have all fallen off and teams are not going to want them over other teams offers. This is where the 3rd level prospects land.
Outside of the braves top 10 prospects, I’m not sure how strong their farm system really is.
Love all these idiot Braves fans saying trade from the deep farm! People the astros have been this good for this long by holding there chips. The Braves have two more years of international signing punishment if you trade away from the surplus now we are gonna be another brewers or cubs team who wins but empties the farm first chance they get. If we empty our farm it will be another decade before we can reproduce the rebuild aucrsss we
Gut the system now and we are a bottom ten farm system for a decade. If you want another 15 year run of playoffs made we have to keep our resources