The Braves have announced that they’ve signed Tyler Thornburg to a non-guaranteed, one-year deal worth $900K. To open up a spot on the 40-man roster, they placed Kirby Yates on the 60-day IL.
Thornburg’s career has been a rollercoaster to this point, with the highs of excellent performance constantly giving way to lows brought about by injuries. In 2013, he threw 66 2/3 innings for the Brewers, logging a 2.03 ERA. However, elbow issues limited him to around 30 frames in each of the next two campaigns. 2016, he got back on track, logging 67 innings with a 2.15 ERA, excellent 34.2% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate.
It was after that tremendous campaign that the Brewers sent Thornburg to the Red Sox for Travis Shaw, Mauricio Dubon and Josh Pennington. Unfortunately, Thornburg required surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, missing the entirety of the 2017 season. When he came back, he was much less effective, throwing 42 2/3 innings over 2018 and 2019 for the Red Sox, putting up an ERA of 6.54, strikeout rate of 22.3% and walk rate of 10.4%. In 2020, he logged seven innings for the Reds before hitting the IL, eventually undergoing Tommy John Surgery in September.
Now that about 18 months has passed since that surgery, Thornburg is presumably healthy again and ready for another kick at the can. For the Braves, this is a low-risk flier on a player who could be a bargain if he can stay healthy and resume his previous form. His $900K salary is just barely above the league minimum, which is $700K in the new CBA. Also, since the deal isn’t guaranteed, the club could even avoid that modest sum if Thornburg’s injury past catches up with him in spring.
As for Yates, the IL placement is merely a formality. The club signed him in November to a two-year deal, knowing that he would miss the first half of 2022.
For the defending World Series champion Braves, their bullpen took a hit at the end of the season, as Richard Rodriguez, Josh Tomlin, Jesse Chavez and Chris Martin hit free agency, with Chavez and Martin both signing with the Cubs in recent days. They’ve seemingly tried to compensate for those losses by taking fliers on talented hurlers who are relatively affordable because of their injury histories, such as Yates, Thornburg and Collin McHugh, whom they signed yesterday.
Yates is having himself a nice little multimillionaire career with little playing time
What’s up with Yates?
He is on th shelf until at least mid season. They knew that going in.
Forget Yates. Thornburg, the guy DD gave up four players for? Thornburg who never really pitched for the Red Sox? That Thornburg? Out of loyalty (LOL), you would think he would have signed with either the Red Sox or the Phillies. Seriously, good luck to any player who after all the injuries still believes in himself.
little harsh, eh?
I thought my last line brought it back to reality. Really am rooting for anyone whose performance suffered due to injuries.
I wonder if he will play more games than Jed Lowrie did for the Mets?
What is with DD and Thornburg? Is DD still trying to prove the Red Sox/Brewer trade was not a mistake….IT WAS
DD should have signed him to a minor league deal
They expect Yates back in Aug 2022, possibly for the stretch run. AA mentioned it’s like dealing for someone at the Deadline, knowing that bullpen is the most scarce resource then.
It’s time to retire Mr. Yates. Congratulations on the extra millions you’ve lured teams into throwing at you based on “track record”
They signed him having gone through surgery anticipating he’d be out through mid-season, thus the deal he got for an addt year. Putting him on the 60-day IL is just procedural. No wool being pulled over any eyes.
He signed with the blue jays and they expected innings
How’s that his fault? Clueless stros18
They signed him to a 2 year deal knowing he might not be available to pitch this year.
are the Braves the only team that knows you can sign “non-guranteed MLB deals”?
May have something to do with ATL almost always reporting their contract terms, and many other teams not. I’d imagine there’s more than initially get reported because a time might not always disclose the term of the agreement, but just that there is an agreement with said free agent, which is what most care about anyway.
This deal isn’t guaranteed, plus the Dickerson contract wasn’t guaranteed earlier, if my memory serves me correct lol…The Braves have handed out alot of these types of deals in the past with mixed results.
Even still though, when they work, they get a good player for pretty cheap. If not, they’re just replaced by someone else, typically internally or by another gamble, during the season, and it isn’t a big loss either way…
Either way you look at it, signing these veterans, even if they’re just sitting in AAA they can still help your team by being mentors to the younger pitchers..
Josh Tomlin wasn’t ever seen as a big signing, and he had some pretty mixed results for the Braves, BUT he impacted alot of their young bullpen arms helping then with their pitch grips, their mental approach, etc. His contract was worth its weight in gold when all was said and done!!
Replacing an injured pitcher with Tyler Thornburg…now that’s funny!
Lotto ticket. Why not.
This year’s Tyler Matzek-like signing…
Not really the same thing. Matzek’s career was derailed due to a stress and anxiety disorder. Thornburg’s career has been derailed due to some serious injuries he’s had to try and overcome multiple times..
Also, Matzek was already with the team pitching in their AA and AAA affiliate at the end of the previous season, then went through their spring training, and then was placed back in AAA again to begin the next season before he even earned his eventual call-up to Atlanta.
They are two VERY different cases, but I get the gist of what you’re trying to say..I just wanted to point that out for anyone that wasn’t aware..
Would have been great to have him a few years ago. But low risk move here… nothing to complain about
Guy had thorotic (sp) arm surgery, and that’s pretty much been the kiss of death…
I believe Julio Urias had that surgery. He’s done ok.
Non Guarantee. No biggie.
Good bullpen moves so far with McHugh & Thornburg. I don’t count Yates. Martin wasn’t good last yr, and Rich Rod wasn’t either. So, bullpen hasn’t lost much and we’re gambling on a few guys with high ceilings on cheap contracts?
Now get that rotation piece!!
The Braves bullpen is pretty much already set with Matzek, Smith, Minter, McHugh, L.Jackson, Webb, and possibly O’Day. Plus, they’ll have guys like Sean Newcomb as an option, Dylan Lee, Brooks Wilson and William Woods two solid relievers in AAA, and then they’ll also have any starters that don’t make the rotation as well like Huascar Ynoa, Touki Toussaint, etc.
Then, come August, they will also have possibly Kirby Yates healthy, and they could even call up a prospect like Spencer Strider from AAA once he gets close to reaching his innings limit like they did at the end of last season for expanded rosters…
Basically, with 6-7 virtual LOCKS already making the team’s pen, the heavy lifting has already been done for their pen. Right now, they can add depth at AAA, and they can afford to take some cheap gambles on guys if they see that there is some potential that player could possibly help the ballclub at some point…
I meant Dylan Lee, William Woods, and Brokks Wilson [THREE] solid relievers in AAA…
I forgot about Dylan Lee, and then added him later forgetting to change the two to three..lol
Garage bin dumpster diving on the bullpen. Trying to find that diamond in the rough.
I believe that the braves need to add another starting pitcher. Zack is looking on the east coast Florida is his home state.
@DoUble-A, if you’re referring to Zack Greinke it said earlier that he’s signing with KC.