The Braves have added infielder Joshua Fuentes on a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transactions log.
Fuentes, 30 in February, was signed by the Rockies as an amateur free agent back in 2014. He had a slow rise through the minor leagues, but showed a fair bit of promise in Triple-A, slashing .327/.354/.517 with 14 home runs. He was rewarded with a first big league call up the following year, hitting .218/.232/.400 across 56 plate appearances in 2019.
Over the next few seasons Fuentes would get a fair bit of exposure in the big leagues, putting together a combined .243/.269/.377 line with 12 home runs over 443 plate appearances between 2019-21. Fuentes would log most of his time at first and third base, but did see a little bit of time in the corner outfield spots as well. In a combined 472 1/3 innings at third he was worth 10 Defensive Runs Saved, while in 417 1/3 innings at first he was worth 9 DRS.
Fuentes elected free agency after the Rockies outrighted him at the end of the 2021 season. He latched on with the Blue Jays on a minor league deal for 2022, but after hitting just .165/.205/.200 in 112 plate appearances at Triple-A he was released. He signed on to play with Yucatan in Mexico for the rest of the year, and hit .299/.364/.576 with ten home runs in 162 plate appearances.
Fuentes will provide the Braves with a bit of corner infield depth in 2023. He has one minor league option remaining.
Nolan Arenado’s cousin. Good defender (must run in family).
That locks up the world series for atl. He was the missing piece.
You seem to not understand that depth signings are necessary for all teams and that not every signing is supposed to be a superstar.
I, for one, have enjoyed reading the same joke ten times a week for almost two decades.
You only get these jokes when the team is doing absolutely nothing to fill the holes in the team (2B & OF)
If you’re tired of seeing the same joke it’s because we are too. That joke being the Braves willingness to put together 90% of a roster, then stop short of filling in the last couple needs to make them a legit threat. I’d almost rather they just spent nothing at all, literally, than spend to be a top 10 team without the guts to go for it when the time is right, which is now.
L comment for multiple reasons…first 2B?!? Also horrible take.
Comedy comes easy to some
Is the MJ short for Marty Janetty? Because he also loves smoking crack
So is Albies no longer there or do you just love posting how little you know about baseball?
Bingo, DTD.
It only counts if he got put through a barber shop window by Shawn Michaels.
The fact that you note that the Braves need a 2B instantly takes away all credibility from your comment, worse case scenario Rosario and Grissom/Arcia hitting in the 8 & 9 holes, I would think that’s a pretty strong hitting lineup.
Yeah we can do SO much better than Ozzie at 2nd.
Um, they just won a world series and their payroll is the highest it’s ever been. What haven’t they done? Swanson got paid way to much… If arcia and grissom aren’t the answer, I’m sure aa will fix the problem. You just sound rather bitter
I actually agree with MJ’s opinion here. That has always been an issue with AA. He assembles about 90% of a team and stops. Yes we won the World Series in 2021 but look how unlike the performance of that team is and how he didn’t complete a roster until the trade deadline and ultimately made wildcard like moves in an effort to do so. The outfield was terrible all year and he rebuild it with gamble pieces. For once I’d like to begin a season with a complete roster, especially with the current payroll
Correct, when your entire lineup is filled with average to above average hitters, and your last two batters are either Ozuna or Rosario, which both are more than capable of having at least average seasons offensively, and a very talented, young player like Vaughn Grissom or occasionally getting at-bats by Orlando Arcia, I’d say that’s a pretty solid lineup top to bottom..
Obviously, someone is either a salty Mets fan or just your average troll looking for attention. Either way, what a sad existence…
Also, those that are all up in arms about losing Dansby, the Braves are pretty much just swapping him out with Ozzie Albies offensively, and then moving Vaughn over to SS defensively.
Plus, with Murphy now in tow, the Braves have just significantly upgraded their defense at catcher, you know probably the most important defensive position in the entire game, and are just swapping his bat for Contreras’.
Also, those worried about Vaughn’s defense at SS, so far all the reports have been nothing but EXTREMELY POSITIVE from Ron Washington. He’s even gone out of his way to praise his raw athleticism, and his natural abilities as a SS, which is a great sign because Wash is not the “praising type.” You really have to earn his praise, so I take that as a very positive sign for Vaughn Grissom’s potential at SS.
In case curoous minds did not know, that is also the same Ron Washington that helped Dansby Swanson go from an average defender to a GG, along with also being a vital part to Albies’ defensive success as well as Austin Riley’s tremendous growth defensively at 3B.
@richardc Everything you said was 100% spot on. THANK YOU
Pache was given a chance, he failed. Acuna got injured. Ozuna dealt with injury and off the field stuff. Crap happens, there’s no crystal ball. He went out and made the necessary improvements and it worked. They’ve had a complete roster for a while now, you not liking the players is a you problem. There isn’t a team in baseball that’s roster is 100% great and there never will be. Your unrealistic expectations cloud your judgement.
Great post RC, common sense and facts. That’s refreshing to see.
What are you talking about!?!
A complete roster does not mean you have to have above average players 1-9 in your lineup, on the bench, in the rotation, and in the bullpen as well..
Now, when you consider how many above average players the Braves do have in their lineup, in their rotation, on their bench, and in their pen how can you not see what an excellent job he’s done setting this team up for each season as well as for the future??
What more do you want from him?? It’s easy to say oh we should have traded for this player, or we should have signed this guy, well it takes two to complete a deal. Not all teams liked/wanted our prospects, they could have been asking for entirely too much, or our prospects didn’t match-up to their needs and wants. Also, not every available player wants to come and sign with Atlanta, whether it is due to location, the Braves already having most of their team filled, or because there are other interested teams that are in a better position to offer a more lucrative contract…
It isn’t always about the moves you make, alot of the times the moves you DO NOT MAKE have just as big of an impact.
Like when most “fans” wanted to trade away Kyle Wright before last year, and ultimately wanted to get rid of him while his return would have only netted pennies on the dollar. Not to mention, when he refused to include Michael Harris or Spencer Strider in the Olson deal
AA is constantly tweaking and working around the edges of the roster and the AAA team to increase the Braves depth and to improve the roster.
How else do you think the Braves have been able to win so many division titles in a row the last few years??
It SURE AS HECK isn’t because the Braves have been able to stay healthy!! They managed to win the World Series without one of the best players in baseball and without the guy that was just the Ace of their staff!!! They’ve been able to weather those storms and rashes of injuries because of AA, the moves he’s made, and due to the talent he’s acquired. AA and largely Dana Brown has provided this team with a solid amount of depth top to bottom, and that was ALL WITHOUT any ability to improve the farm system via international free agency…
I meant SS, calm down
So many keyboard warriors quick to pounce on anything like always when most of you know exactly which hole I’m taking about.
I guess feel good about your small win. You got me on a mistake lol.
Finally someone who can overlook a small mistake referring to 2B instead of SS to acknowledge the entire point of the comment.
Braves always stopping short of a full team.
But hey let’s all crack jokes on “replacing Albies” because no one wants to face the real issue at hand. Better to hide behind pathetic attempts to talk about “lost credibility”.
My bad. Truth is I’m still connecting Grissom to 2B in my mind even though it’s even worse of a situation than that for 2023.
We’d be in better shape if the hole really was at 2B instead of SS, so the joke is actually on all of you feeling the need to tell me so adamantly there’s no hole at 2B
So what is that you are hung up on?
Dansby leaving?
Paying Dansby $25M a season would be crazy.
Rosario is a prime candidate for a bounce back season.
What moves do you think AA should be making instead?
There’s a good chance Grissom outperforms Swanson next season. They should probably sign Duvall back, if he’s healthy, and that would finish off the roster. Duvall was hitting better once he moved to left field last season and would provide a legit power threat behind Olson.
Ozuna and Rosario, along with D’Arnaud when he’s not catching, should be a serviceable DH.
You must be dumber MJ than we all already think you are by mentioning 2B as a hole. Stupid is as stupid does. I bet you have special running shoes.
We know which hole you prefer, troll, now we just want you to crawl back into it.
Well said sir. You can’t have an all star at every position and not to mention every free agent doesn’t turn into gold. Our hole in left field was to be covered by 2 free agent signings that every said we had to make.
I for one am buying into Ozuna’s hard hit rate and uptick in the last couple of months. Eddie once he had his 2 eyes back was serviceable. These same haters complained about only getting Soler, Eddie and Duvy at the ‘21 Trade Deadline. In AA we trust.
He has no ideas, just likes whining and being uninformed
And we’ve established your takes are awful
He lost Acuña Jr the second week of July. How was he supposed to know that prior to the season starting? Same with Ozuna breaking all his fingers sliding like 6 weeks into the season?
Lol haha Good one.
Thank you.
There’s a pool of Braves fans that just drive me insane..lol They’re completely unrealistic, and think if the Braves don’t either win it all or make it to the WS every year it is a failure and someone’s fault, be it AA, Snitker, or Ownerships.
You nailed it on the head, without having to use a six paragraph rant..lol Well stated.
Honestly though, in the past, I have been guilty of wanting new ownership too, so I cannot say much on that. Lol However, I cannot really complain with their actions of late, seems pretty reasonable with the Braves having a top 8 payroll..
Spot on correct!!
I also think we could atleast see a semblance of a biynceback season from one or both of Ozuna and Rosario.
It certainly isn’t all that unreasonable, and that’s especially if they both come into spring training in great shape and ready to go..
Defensively, it could get ugly at times..lol Offensively, I don’t think LF will be the hole most people are expecting it will be.
Maybe it is wishful thinking, idk, but like you said, they’ve both recently shown that they can still hit. Now, it just has to be on a more consistent basis, and with a fresh year, I think there’s a decent probability they can both at least put up average seasons..
Braves gonna turn this dude into Carlos Correa with two good legs
Already can do something Correa can’t — turn his head and cough.
“LOw RiSk HiGh rEwARd”
-Everyone
Very astute observation
Not great but miles better than Nick.
The only weak joke here is MJ.
Solid depth move. Ironically better than some of the moves where we have sent cash to the other teams
Gross. 2 ops+ seasons around 50.
And another one in the minors.
Last 2 seasons beyond horrible offensively.
Well, now the Braves have brought in 2 guys that can’t even hit in Colorado.
And neither one of them is expected to be anything more than depth pieces. All 30 teams sign these type of players because it’s necessary when you have to fill so many levels throughout an organization.
There’s not a lot the Braves could do to upgrade the last two spots. Profar and Andrus are the best FA’s available, and their prices will be way above their value because of the competition for their services. We could possibly trade for Rosario at SS, but that would only be for one year, and he’s not that great anyway. We could trade for Reynolds for LF, but that would start with Grissom and Anderson and finish with a couple of our higher rated pitching prospects. That’s too much.
Signing a stopgap righty platoon guy (like Duvall) for LF and moving Grissom back to his comfortable position seem like the smartest moves.
The only realistic trade scenario would be to get Kim from SD since his contract is cheap and has up to 3 yrs left. He’s an average bat and a great glove. That would allow Grissom to possibly shift to Left, improving the offense and defense. That would be my personal preference anyways.
That would be great, but I think the asking price would be too high. Other teams could offer more.
I think they could get him for Anderson and maybe a mid to low prospect.
I hope Joe Jimenez is really good. Malloy was a nice trade chip.
Gotta build depth