The Tigers have announced they’ve traded reliever Joe Jimenez to the Braves for prospects Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jake Higginbotham. The Tigers will also send cash to the Braves.
Jimenez, 27, was a highly effective member of Detroit’s bullpen last season, tossing 56 2/3 innings of 3.49 ERA ball. Advanced metrics looked particularly favorably on Jimenez’ work, as his FIP sat at an even 2.00. The right hander struck out batters at a well above average 33.3% clip, while walking them just 5.6% of the time.
Originally signed out of Puerto Rico in 2013, Jimenez dominated the minor leagues on his way through the Tigers’ system, and was called up to make his big league debut in 2017. That year was a struggle for him, as he pitched to a 12.32 ERA in 19 innings. A .403 opponent BABIP certainly didn’t help there, and Jimenez would turn things around pretty quickly after that. His strikeout increased to 29.2% the following year, and Jimenez posted a 4.31 ERA over 62 2/3 innings, with a 2.90 FIP, earning a first trip to the All Star game that summer.
Like almost any reliever, Jimenez has had his ups and downs, and while 2018-19 saw him provide steady relief as a young arm in the Tigers’ pen, he had a rough couple of years thereafter. The shortened 2020 season saw Jimenez shelled for 2.8 home runs per nine innings, winding up with a 7.15 ERA. After experiencing a dip in strikeouts that year, he rebounded in that aspect a year later but saw his walk rate shoot up to 16.7% as he wound up with a 5.96 ERA. He looked dominant this year though, in what was easily his best year in the big leagues.
Jimenez will presumably slot into the back of the Braves’ bullpen. They’ve already got Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, Collin McHugh and Dylan Lee as highly effective relief options, so Jimenez arms them with another weapon to use to close out games. Jimenez is arbitration-eligible for the final time this winter, and projected to take home a $2.6MM salary before hitting free agency next winter.
Turning over to the prospects the Tigers will receive, Malloy is the headline piece. He was the Braves’ sixth round pick in the 2021 draft, and made it as high as Triple-A in 2022, but spent most of the year below that. At Double-A, he hit .268/.403/.421 with six home runs in 238 plate appearances. Defensively, Malloy split time between third base and left field. He’s shot up the Braves’ prospect rankings since being drafted, and was their 6th best prospect on Baseball America’s recently released 2023 list. While their scouting report raises concerns over his defensive ability, the bat has plenty of promise, and he’s certainly hitting enough so far that he could be knocking on the door of the big leagues before long.
Higginbotham, 26, pitched 51 1/3 innings out of the bullpen at Double-A in 2022, posting a 4.73 ERA. Originally drafted in the 11th round back in 2018, Higginbotham’s posted a 3.30 ERA across four professional seasons in the Braves’ organization. He throws a mid-90s fastball, and mixes that with a sinker and curveball.
Photo credit: USA Today Sports.
Braves just got fleeced.
Can’t wait to see the big trade AA will pull off this off-season.
AA isn’t the GM anywhere in the league so he will be sitting back chilling
Wrong AA.. he’s referring to Alex Anthopoulos the GM of the Braves not Al Avila the former GM of the Tigers I do believe.
AA isn’t the GM anywhere in the league so he will be sitting back chilling drinking beers.
Huh?
I think it’s a bad joke about alcohol anonymous
Ohhhhh. I see what you mean now.
I think Drew confused Al Avila with the Braves gm
Nope. AA is Alex.
I think it’s Al Avila…..bragging!
There’s the Saber Tooth!
What do you think, did Scotty Harris get the approval on this one??
I don’t know anything about either player. The batter appears to have a good batting average and a great walk rate. What is interesting is the number of RBIs vs the number of hits he has….are those walks? Or is it some guys just like to come through in a clutch….?
We’ll see. I hope for good things!
Or….were those hits just simply against bad pitching, when everyone else was hitting too?…….many base runners equals many RBIs……
The high batting average make that scenario less likely. More hope.
I prefer a bundled package for high ranked prospects, but as you know, ranking is no guarantee. These guys stand a good chance too.
You point out it is only “one” transaction. The Tigers are proceeding slowly. Cautiously? Or without any sense of urgency?
In my mind, they owe it to the fans to be pursuing multiple strategies and be aggressive…they’ll have to pay me, I’m tired of giving away my ideas for free on the net.
I’m shocked at the salaries and the things people are saying about future salaries…..
Or he hits well from “the stretch”, with runners on base…..
I hope they don’t sign any contracts like what’s going on now.
against the stretch *
can i get joe number
Nice
Great trade for both teams. Jimenez’s underlying numbers were Bugs Bunny-like & if not for the last 2 outings of the year, his ERA etc would look better than it does. His opponent BABIP was 33 points above his career average & he still had a career year. Basically improved across the board in 2022.
We were also lacking in the weight category losing Kenley so this is clearly a “big” move. Nose tackle in the bullpen
That’s a gud!
This is AA’s worst deal of his tenure. He just gave away his future LF for a pitcher with a career ERA of 5…awful
Higginbotham is one hell of a name, I’m now automatically rooting for this guy
Sounds like a Lord of the Hobbits name.
Or a gentleman’s gentleman.
“Your evening paper, sir.”
“Thank you, Higginbotham.”
Haha! “Pardon, Sir Higginbotham, would you have any of that….Gray Poupon?”
The Three Stooges could’ve had a field day with Poupon word plays.
Where the heck is Curly when you need him?
Grey Poupon- if its gray you don’t want it Harrumph
Someone finally made a trade!
Jeez, what were they thinking.
who?
The Braves. Give up they best hitting prospect for a reliever who just had one good season.
Read the writing on the wall…they won’t need him when they acquire (insert other COF)
Jimenez was pretty good in 2018 and 2019 as well.
That’s the only thing that makes sense here. There has to be another trade in the works that would have made JHM expendable. Right now as it stands this seems like a very questionable deal for the Braves.
This is quite steep compared to what the Mets had to give for raley
Raley will be 35 next season and had a 3.50ish FIP. Jimenez is 27 and looks like he broke out last year, 2.00 FIP with an insane strikeout rate. I trust the Braves / Ray’s scouting / analytics over the Met’s.
Higginbotham? Very studious sounding
As a Tiger fan, I love this trade! Jimenez is up and down like most relievers and has only one year left under contract. Higginbotham looks like a throwaway, but Malloy’s stats are stunning! The guy regularly gets on base 40% of the time and has power. Will turn 23 in…wait for it…’23.
*two years
I don’t think so. Five full season in MLB (2018-2022) plus a stub in 2017.. 2023 will be 6+. He is arb eligible so no contract to keep him from testing the waters next offseason.
He will be a stud for DET and could be roaming the OF as soon as next season. Great trade for them.
Malloy isn’t a blue chip prospect. Great on base skills but little power and pretty poor defensively. Most likely a utility player at best.
He hit 17 homers and had an .862 OPS this year. He can definitely hit.
He set the AFL on fire and is really coming into his own, not unlike Michael Harris’ trajectory. Interesting that they sold high on him, though I think a lot of people are not aware of how overpriced reliable RP is right now. PHI/NYM are spending big bucks and still have barely addressed their pen issues, in part, because there’s no a lot available on the FA market — or it’s overpriced (see RP contracts in free agency so far).
I almost forgot, Malloy also just hit .306 in the Arizona Fall League. His glove might be weak, but his bat is very strong.
A,A+ & AA Pitching is a whole different world than the Major Leagues.
Betting Harris tries him at 3B.
Couldn’t agree more. Keep honing in on the obp! Nice move Mr. Harris. Hope to see Wily Peralta back!
So you applaud getting a guy who walks a lot, but you want a pitcher who gives up a lot of walks? Got it.
I applaud the team improving on basis of personal opinion, not merely walks. Fwiw, Peralta 3.6 career bb9 to Jimenez’s 3.7.
IMO, Peralta has been more successful in a Tigers uniform than Jimenez.
You said “keep honing in on the obp”. That indicates you value that metric. In the next sentence you said you wanted to get Peralta who had a 5.63 bb/9 last year which is a total contradiction. He had a 3.6 the year before, not for his career as a tiger. You can either double down and look ignorant or have the courage to admit it was a silly statement.
I wasn’t comparing Joe to Wily, and either were you. It was just a smoke screen on your part to save face. But if you want to play that game; one is going to be a set up man for a World Series team, and the other is a minor league free agent without a team. Doubling down once again on an ignorant opinion. What you don’t understand is doubling down makes you look worse, not better. Truly intelligent people can admit mistakes or the self awareness to understand when they don’t totally know what they’re talking about.
K
For those wondering what WWE’s Shawn Michaels’ name is, it’s Michael Hickenbottom.
I understand the Braves were interested in Jimenez at last season’s trade deadline. Al Avila was too afraid to make any significant trades for fear of getting fleeced and exposed for incompetence. So, he kept asking for unreasonable returns to avoid trades.
On the surface this looks like a questionable deal for the Braves. Joe Jimenez is good but JHM should have been used for a bigger fish. My thinking is this sets the stage for another move which would have then made JHM expendable.
This is a “wait and see” trade. After years of unfulfilled promise, Joe Jimenez finally broke out. If he truly has arrived, ATL has their CL. But, I’m happy he’s gone.
It’s hard to say about the two Braves prospects. Neither have enough to fill the back of their cards. Malloy is a DH type who is being fast tracked. Higginbotham is an older L-RP but there’s a reason he’s been moved to AA with so few IPs.
I agree, Jimenez puts me on the edge of the seat every time. I honestly cannot believe they got that kind of return for him. Excited as ever to see what Fetter can do with Higginbottom.
The new front office made a good move. I hope they can unload Baez and Rodriguez now.
Phew, that’s a tall order. But, I’m right there with you.
Hopefully, Baez & Rodriguez have monster seasons and opt out.
Why would you want players to perform well then leave?
So they’re tradeable. They’re not now cause they underperforming their contracts.
So the team reaps the extra value this year, and has more money to spend next off season. No one wants to be paying Baez during the last year of this contract. Besides, it beats Baez performing poorly and deciding he’s getting more than anyone else would reasonably give him, so he will stay.
You are missing the point. If they start performing we want them! You can’t continue to trade vets for prospects. If you have a surplus at a position and a position of need, you trade the surplus for need. Good starting shortstops and pitchers don’t grown on trees. Who are you going to replace them with?
Then why would anyone trade for him? The premise is that he’s playing well.
Player options are stupid; if the player plays well, he’s opting out. If he’s playing poorly, he’s staying. If you have to make that stipulation in the contract, you shouldn’t want him.
You’re missing the point. Your logic is true if a team has a strong core. A team must build a base before they fill need through free agency. You can’t build a base from free agents.
Because I believe Baez & Rodriguez suck, particularly Baez, who sucks big f-ing time.
So I’m hoping they each have a little luck in the 2023 season so we don’t have to keep them long term because, again, they suck.
Jimenez won’t be needed to be a closer – that’s why they took over Iglesias’ 3 years/$48M contract – taking over for Jansen. He cemented that when he didn’t give up a run until the playoffs, after arriving in ATL. ATL loves to load-up on RPs with closing experience (i.e. Chris Martin, Will Smith, Shane Greene, Luke Jackson, Raisel Iglesias, AJ Minter, etc.) then treat the last 3 IP like each of them are the 9th, with Iglesias the traditional closer most nights. Jimenez should thrive with a good defense behind him.
His peripherals were amazing last year, 2.0 FIP! Another power arm for the Braves pen.
Unfortunately for Jimenez, the game is played in reality where players have to field. He just went from a pitcher’s park to a hitters friendly park. In 6 seasons, his ERA is over 5. That’s reality, where the game is actually played.
DTD/ATL1313;
He went from pitching in front of a pathetic defense to one of the better ones in MLB.
You know very little, my friend.
He also is not in that pitchers park and won’t have the shift to bail him out. His homers will sky rocket even more.
in fairness, everyone’s home run rates will skyrocket without the shift
I never said the shift would effect homers. I mentioned the park and shift, the next sentence was about him already being homer prone.
Except you can’t HR what you can’t hit – as indicated by his robust 12.29 K/9. His HR/9 was at 0.44, which was still better than some of 2022’s best RPs, including: Helsley (0.84), Muñoz (0.69), Daniel Bard (0.45), Jordan Romano (0.56), AJ Minter (0.64), etc. They’re also getting him for 1 full season (before reaching FA next offseason), rather than overpaying at the Deadline.
How does the shift effect HRs? Do you play higher?
I don’t understand giving up a somewhat “decent” prospect for him. Cash and a minor leaguer of basically no value or two would have been good. Malloy is an interesting prospect… jimnenz basically had his best year last year. His all star year was fine but more so early in the season than late
2.00 FIP’s completely backed up by Peripherals don’t grow on trees. Malloy is a low ceiling player, always was.
No, no he wasn’t. Have you seen what he did statically last year? He is expected to crack some top 100 lists going into the season. This is a garbage trade.
Malloy was rising through the ranks at a similar pace as Acuna. Now, I’m not saying he’s Acuna at all, but even super early in acunas scouting, they thought he had a low ceiling. That said Malloy is older than Acuna and has been scouted more. But still, he’s turning into someone that no one expected him to be. I like those guys. And I don’t love that the bullpen arm we get in return has only 1 year left and although I get the advanced stats, at the end of the day, he has to perform. Just like Ozuna… they guys advanced stats always told a different story than what he produced on the field. You’d think he’s a god if you just looked at those
bravesfan;
Do you guys get any AL games down there other than highlights?
I watched him pitch twice last year and he was meh. That said, I try not to judge off such a small sample size but I remember the announcers talking about what a great season he was having, etc. again, I’m not saying he’s bad… but he’s not the guy consistently that he was last year. For that, I don’t love giving up a prospect with some upside for 1 year of “who knows what we will get”.
How in the world do you judge a pitcher based on 2 innings of what YOU saw? It’s either good or bad coming in for an inning at a time. Joe is what his stats say, if not a bit better. Clearly one of the better relievers in baseball last year.
Joe has shown his upside at the highest level; Justyn has not (many questions about his defense) so your point makes no sense.
Finally, the Tigers have made a move to improve the ballclub. Let’s hope Malloy works out.
Just as long as Jimenez is gone
Nice move by the Braves. Jimenez will help them. He had a really nice year. He seems to finally have arrived. And the Btaves sniffed that out.
I like Malloy. Great get for DET.
Amazing get for one year of Jimenez.
I’m a bit salty about this.
I’m very salty about this. Worst trade in years.
Nope. The Tommy Milone deal was AA’s worst—by a lot.
Nooooooooo. Not Malloy!!! Not for one year of Joe Jimenez. I like the addition of Jimenez, but not if it’s it costs Malloy.
Fudge.
The Braves plan on extending Jimenez and helping him reach his full potential
or they wouldn’t have done this deal.
I assumed that. However, how do you value Jimenez? I assume he/his agent want a contract based on last year. But, he been very inconsistent prior. He probably wouldn’t mind playing out the year if the Braves don’t give him what he wants.
I know Braves have outfield and 3b set for a while. I just think Malloy can be a great player and if they had to give him up, they should have gotten more.
Even if they extend Jimenez, it’s still Malloy plus for one year of the dude.
How do you value Jimenez? He’s 27 y/o and got 1 year until FA coming off an excellent All-Star campaign where all his metrics point to continued progress. Rafael Montero (32 y/o) was recently re-signed by HOU for 3/$34.5M. If Joe reached FA, he’d get at least that at that age, but I’d say more like 4/$42-45M considering he’s had more success closing, which teams love.
You’re undervaluing a crazy RP market – that will be even more expensive come Trade Deadline when no one will want to give them up and because of expanded playoff slots, you’ll have more teams with an illusion of playoff hopes being buyers and not sellers.
Big joe had a real problem in high leverage situations. Although he has closer stuff he didn’t seem to be able to deal with failure well
Hopefully this means Reynolds is coming to the A
No brainer move for the Tigers. Any tradable players need to be traded out of Detroit for controllable pieces. Their competitive window opens in 2024. This season is likely going to be practice and rehab. They go big in FA next offseason, bring in one, possibly two top tier players and just like that, all the problems created in recent years by Cabrera and his terrible contract is finally over and done with and they can become legit contenders.
a761506;
The Tigers are where the Orioles were 4 years ago and the Pirates were 3.
They have no infrastructure in Baseball Ops. They have to order computers, pitching machines, video equipment, etc. and people that can use them. Then they have to build processes that all can contribute to and use. Find a new coaching staff, scouting people, etc. Quality people can’t be hired in one year. Building the infrastructure takes time. Meanwhile they have to start finding good young players.
Jimenez has the stuff to set up and/or close on many teams.
The Braves Front Office and Coaches have looked at his film and have seen him pitch.
Their pitching coaches probably plan to have him make a few adjustments
to finally reach his high upside potential.
Sorry to see Malloy go, but I trust AA. He seems to make the right decision more often than not.
I knew when I first saw his blond mohawk he was going to be trouble.. He pitched just well enough to get out of Detroit….I may even forgive Wonder Boy for the Boyd signing by ditching the now former-Tiger VaJayJay.
As a Tiger fan my advice to Braves fans is Joe Jimenez is a great 7th-8th inning guy. Best if he starts an inning. Be prepared if he’s brought in with runners on. He likes to let the first hitter he faces get on. If he’s not done in 12 pitches….beware.
So far, I lkie our new GM’s approach.
He’s the prez….we don’t have a GM yet….maybe never again.. (wind whistles, shutters rattle, a wolf howls)
Whatever. He’s making the calls.
He is?
Yes he is, Rocky.
Fair price paid. Only question is why not just sign some guys. Braves know Malloy more than anyone so I would trust them.
Sure, the braves know all their players. However I’m sure since the tigers have one of the best pitching coaches in baseball they also know what they are trading away. I’m sure Chris fetter had been asked on who’s his top arms he prefers to work with?! So it definitely goes both ways. But if they are both good for each team. Then it’s just a matter of need over picking apart each player. Tigers have more strength in pitching then hitting. So they let one go. Atlanta must of wanted more pitching so they went out and got one. Win win for everyone. As long as no injuries sideline either long term.
Tigers could absolutely love him. Doesn’t matter if they would rather have the prospects. Doesn’t seem like they are trying to go all in for 2023 so smart move trading him.
@Dream: Yep, good business by the Tigers to sell high on Jiminez. One year of control left. Rebuilding clubs need to get prospect value for players like him.
Tigers fan here. Jimenez has been up and down. Was actually an all star early in career. In minors he was a stud. Last year he seemed to “get it” and not get emotional over mistakes. He had a couple bad outings but overall was quite good last year. He will do well in Atlanta
Now, if the Tigers are able to acquire Jose Jimenez, Bill Dana will be happy.
Sneaky good move by the Braves I think, at least in the short term and makes sense with Jansen off to Boston. Jimenez has been solid for Detroit. Could get some saves down in Atlanta.
Mickey Steverman;
I believe the Braves stole a top-flite closer.
LOL!
I hope the Braves are not planning on Joe closing. They will be disappointed. Joe has never pitched for a good Tigers team. He’s going to a championship quality team.
You do not want him shutting down the Phillies and Mets, on the road in one run games in the 9th.
Even worse, don’t rely on him to keep you alive in extras with a runner starting the inning on 2nd base.
I wish him no ill will…or the Braves. Just syin’.
Atlanta has acquired a really good reliever. Jimenez always had the stuff, was tantalizing in the minors and can handle closing games. The Tigers’ current pitching coaches helped him to get the results (although he might not be done yet, as his peripherals indicate).
Unfortunately, Detroit will likely make less use of a high-leverage reliever this year, so trading him was the right decision. I really like Malloy’s offense, but he will have to field as well in order to stay in the lineup. Since 3B is vacant with the Tigers, there is an opening for him, although the step would be huge.
Gruß,
BSHH
@BSHH: Think you’d better count on JHM to be used as an outfielder by Dt.
Wtf. Traded Malloy for Joe Jimenez, this is so stupid. Malloy is going to be incredible. He was trending up and was expected to crack some top 100 lists. One of the worst trades I’ve ever seen in my entire time as a fan. I hate this so much
Kind of hard to tell which team came out on top.
Atlanta fans give it a rest. You are making it out that Malloy is going to be a sure fire superstar. Malloy has hit in the minors but has not taken that first swing in majors. Plus, if his fielding is suspect, my guess is the Braves project Malloy being a DH primarily. If that is the case, it was a fair trade.
Dh or not. A player that has on base potential like that has value
Of course that has value – you trade that value for 1 year of a 27-year old All-Star RP that just had a breakout year. Had Jiminez gone to free agency, he’d be receiving at least better than 32-year old Rafael Montero’s 3/$34.5M.
Most Braves fans that favor the trade aren’t saying that JHM doesn’t have potential and value. Some of the disagreement on this deal centers on JHM having no unblocked position to play in Atl. The Braves—and most MLB teams—don’t allocate the DH spot to one player. They prefer to use the DH as a lineup spot to give multiple position players a break from playing in the field. JHM was never going to play 1B, 3B, and probably not the outfield in Atlanta. I’m sorry to see him dealt, but I don’t think he had a near term future in Atl.
This Braves fan is ambivalent about the trade because I fee like it removed one of our best prospect trade chips just when we’re probably going to need to trade for a SS and/or a LF. But we’re not listening in on AA’s phone calls, so we don’t know everything that’s going on.
Now I’m wondering whether or not the Tigers will trade another reliever this off-season. Maybe Gregory Soto?
I wouldn’t mind, if the return was good.
Joe is a little bit of a head case, but very effective when he is confident in himself. He will have a lot of ups and downs, but he will have a long career.
He may have a long career, but he is a FA after one year with Atlanta.
I agree this was a pretty high price. He was rather good last year. Article, as always, throws out BABIP to support one of his more miserable seasons instead of just admitting he was horrible that year. Since twice the fip was so great but the era much higher I don’t trust that. The Braves have excellent scouting and are good with pitchers. Clearly they saw last year as very legit. Also, they could extend him.
Only gave up runs in 13 appearances. Had over 60. Gave up a lot of runs his last 2 appearances which inflates his era, not like it’s fair to take those runs away but looking through the game logs he was a very solid, reliable reliever. He pitched better, for instance, than Kenley Jansen, who just got signed for 32 mil, although clearly Jansen pitched under the spotlight/pressure more (his team was good, he’s the closer (not that it’s as important as people think), and he was fairly expensive).
Good trade for Detroit. 2 prospects are better than Jiminez. Though Jiminez has had some decent games, he is a heart attack on the mound. Just like Soto.
I’d rather see some new blood in the system
Hoping for good things from Joe, but if the Braves had to trade Malloy, I would have preferred it to be as part of a trade for Reynolds from Pittsburgh.
Some people have said “don’t bring Joe in with men on”. We had one of those last year (Will Smith). I hope Joe does better than Will.
Looks like mutually beneficial trade to me. Promising prospect for reliever who finally lived up to potential due to finally maturing. As Tigers fan, JJ was most reliable (to me) reliever last year.
DBacks missed out. Oh well.
I have two words, Shane Greene
IMO, JJ>SG. Shane Greene caught lightning in a bottle and was traded while his value was high. Joe Jimenez finally matured and lived up to his potential.
I have two words, Shane Greene Why do I keep getting a repeated error when trying to post on here
I have two words, Shane Greene Why do I keep getting a repeated error when trying to post on here Unexpected error from server am I being censored
Detroit fan69 I get an error whenever I post. Sometimes it posts sometimes it doesn’t.
Mine post multiple times the eventually there’s just one. This site is flawed.
Joe J. was a man who thought he was a Tiger
But he was another Brave.
Have always liked his stuff when I’ve seen him. Braves see something and will turn him into a beast.
We need a SS/LF platoon or starter. Sure another BP arm is great but need offensive production too. Sure if Ronald bounces back and Ozzie is healthy it will be tremendous. Say what you want about him but Swanson is a winner! Who is the leader of this team? Riley? Olson? Acuna? Albies?