The Braves signed righty Matt Swarmer to a minor league contract over the weekend. The team didn’t formally make an announcement, but the transaction log at MiLB.com indicates he signed a couple days back. Swarmer actually already made his spring debut with the Braves in yesterday’s Grapefruit League contest, tossing one-third of an inning in relief of righty Bryce Elder.
Swarmer, 29, made his big league debut with the Cubs in 2022 when he tossed 34 innings of 5.03 ERA ball over the life of 11 appearances (five starts, six relief outings). He fanned a solid 23.5% of his opponents but issued far too many walks (13.1%) during that brief MLB sample. Swarmer’s big league tenure started with a flourish, as he tossed consecutive quality starts and held the Brewers and Cardinals to a combined two earned runs on seven hits and three walks with 11 punchouts in 12 innings. Over his next 22 frames, however, he was tagged for a 6.95 ERA. The Cubs outrighted him off the roster back in July, and he became a minor league free agent after the season.
A 19th-round pick by the Cubs back in 2016, Swarmer pitched across three levels — High-A, Double-A and Triple-A — in his first full professional season back in 2017, although the results were generally shaky, as one might expect for a pitcher rising so quickly through the system. He had a nice season between High-A and Double-A in 2018 before being hit hard in 2019 and 2021 at the Triple-A level. (There were no minor league games in 2020, of course.)
The 2022 season was the first in which Swarmer found some success in Triple-A. He tossed 81 1/3 frames with the Cubs’ Iowa affiliate, notching a 3.87 ERA with a 24.9% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate. Swarmer doesn’t throw hard (90.6 mph average fastball in last year’s debut season) but has typically posted average or better strikeout and walk rates throughout his minor league career.
Given the manner in which the Braves have thinned out their system on the trade market over the past calendar year — Kyle Muller, Tucker Davidson and Freddy Tarnok are among the upper-minors arms they’ve moved — it’s sensible to see them add some depth in the form of a minor league veteran who had Triple-A success and made his big league debut in 2022.
8 years, $2M
LOL! And Cohen would $800M, 2 years!
=}
Don’t know if you are actually a Mets fan. Just sounded like a funny contrast.
Yes, I am… thanks for the chuckle!
No chuckle, we are on to you Cohen…
I’m happy to announce that ‘Steve Cohen Owns You” now owns MLBTR
He had AAA success???? Oh that’s right all that matters is some of his rate stats (well even then he was on pace to walk 70 or so guys).Seems to pretty much always suck. Only has a job because he Ks guys
I am thinking this might be a tough year to be a Braves fan. Especially after hearing Kyle Wright isn’t 100% and he was the best starting pitcher last year. Then there’s of course no Dansby anymore.
Gonna be tough having the best lineup in all of baseball. All the projections have them scoring more runs than everyone else.
Oh, well then, let’s just hand them their projected stats championship.
I agree Mercenary. Their rotation is mediocre.
I don’t think you know what the word mediocre means.
Fried was our best pitcher last year.
Youve been on this site forever, Salary, something is wrong. Notice it IT
Kyle Wright was their 3rd best starter…there’s more to pitching than wins.
3.19 ERA that only got that high was a shoulder thing that bugged him the later part of the season.
Shoulder’s still bothering Wright. The cortisone shot he received this week could be a sign of things to come.
Strider – Verducci effect? He’ll be expected to make a big jump in innings.
Better hope Fried can start 45 games.
Fried and Strider were both better pitchers.
You sound like a frightened Mets fan that knows his team has no shot with a much worse lineup and depending on 2 grandpas to anchor an otherwise meh rotation.
@DTD. Thanks for that. I’ve been a Braves fan nearly 30 years. I’m still using WAR as my favorite stat. I hope I’m wrong. Maybe Soroka or Ian Anderson can find some of their old mojo.
That was meant for SC Owns You
A year is any period of 365 days. A “calendar year” is literally the year on the calendar eg 2022, 2023.
I understand our core is really strong, but lord our depth and minors are freaking brutal. Like guys who you can’t figure out how they ever got promoted past A ball brutal
@bravesfan, it doesn’t bother you some of these posters can post & have no reply?
Anyone else look forward to broadcasters getting tongue-tied as Swarmer pitches to Schwarber?
Seems the angry stooge has lost his or her mind. Talk about dramatic.