The Braves have signed left-hander Brian Moran to a minors contract earlier this month, as per Moran’s MLB.com profile page. The southpaw elected to become a minor league free agent at the end of the season.
This is the third straight winter Moran has inked a minors pact with Atlanta, though this tenure has yet to result in any playing time at the MLB level. Moran posted a 3.21 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate, and 9.8% walk rate over 47 2/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett in 2023, but dropped back to a 5.91 ERA and 22.9K% in 45 2/3 innings last year, albeit with an improved 7.6% walk rate. Looking at other advanced metrics, Moran benefited from an 84.8% strand rate in 2023 but had a .373 BABIP in 2024.
Now entering his age-36 season, Moran seems to be viewed by the Braves as a useful veteran depth arm, even if the club hasn’t been compelled to give him another look on the active roster. Cracking the bullpen could again be difficult for Moran since Dylan Lee, Aaron Bummer, Angel Perdomo, and Dylan Dodd are all left-handers projected to be part of the relief corps, plus Atlanta recently brought another southpaw in Kolton Ingram into the fold on a minor league deal.
Moran last appeared in the majors in 2022, pitching just a third of an inning in cup-of-coffee fashion with the Angels. Moran has a 7.94 ERA in 11 1/3 innings over 18 career games in the big leagues, primarily with the Marlins and Blue Jays during the 2019-20 seasons. A seventh-round pick for the Mariners in the 2009 draft, Moran has bounced around the league to multiple organizations, including another stint in Atlanta’s minor league system back in 2016.
Wake me up when AA actually does something… zzzzzz
Now that AA has secured the Gwinnett Stripers roster maybe it’s time to fill out the major league roster, dontcha think???
Out: who is left that is worth talking about? We just lost our Ace in Fried. Morton probably won’t be back. Nobody knows what Strider will be when he makes it back. Joe Jimenez will miss the whole 2025 season. I guess it’s back to trading away the future for decent players again.
Last time I checked. Braves got no power in minors let alone position players. Keep choosing not draft position players and sign international prospects and how’s that working out aa. Team got too many holes. Talent keeps leaving the team. Looking at 3rd place and missing out on a wild card is a possibility.
I was called a bozo by that wing-nut @getrealgone for suggesting the Braves would finish 3rd but that’s how it looks…Talent keeps leaving and not being replaced, keep trading away the farm for relievers and 4th outfielders. Sure we locked up our ‘core’ to extensions only to impede Free agency spending every off season (not that Braves ever spent there anyways)…AA not looking so savvy now. No farm system, no money to spend and a bunch of holes to fill. Sounds similar to Toronto days huh?
This is a CBT reset year. Just understand that. It is not a rebuild. I can guarantee you they are looking at this offseason as ‘if the absolute right player at the right price falls to us, get him, but if not, let’s reset the CBT year count’.
The offseason still has some bullets left that could change things, but if not the Braves will likely make the playoffs even if they do nothing. They have that much talent. This ‘too many holes’ thing is a laugher. There is a reason they won 104 games two years ago. The only key difference
is losing Fried and Morton (and I would argue d’Arnaud was more important than Morton), but two years ago they didn’t have Sale and Lopez and Strider was just becoming a weapon.
Expect some positive regression, deadline spending possibly accelerated if key injuries hit, but a definite fight to stay below that CBT, no matter what they say publicly.
TL:DR should have been –
Don’t lose faith homer!
lol thx for the sensible reasoning UGASteve! They’re a playoff team for sure if healthy. Most Braves fans would agree we get tired of hearing we can spend money but never do this time of year…However it’s hard to argue we don’t have LF and RF settled, just lost our #2 and #4 SPs, a light hitting SS, lost 2-3 Relievers, a 2nd baseman who can’t stay healthy, an over-paid catcher and now no backup catcher. Many holes for a ‘contender’ imo.
Drake Baldwin’s going to be much better than just a “backup catcher.”
Braves having a nightmare offseason.
The Braves made it to the postseason with castoffs last year. Getting everybody back healthy that were lost last season will be a huge boost. There are needs that the Braves need to address but it’s not like a lot needs to be done to this team
Problem is the Braves weak farm system isn’t attracting attention in the trade market either…see Crochet trade flop.
I wouldn’t want to trade a huge haul for Crochet anyway.
That picture and the way he throws sure makes him look like a moron
the wording of your comment makes you sound like a moron
Hey! Both can be right
It’s still December folks. The same month the Braves got Chris Sale last season. AA is aware of the additions the Braves need. He will address them, but getting back the players that were lost last season will help this team.
If AA couldn’t land Buehler on a one year ‘prove it deal’, we’re toast. That was right up his and McGuirks alley….As soon I saw that I knew they are most likely standing pat with the team as-is smh.
Why would you want the Braves to waste $21M on Buehler? He was terrible last season. Too much positive recency bias on him because of a few good inni9ngs in the playoffs. The Braves have a ton of young arms that can bring better results on a ML minimum salary. When I suggested last spring that Schwellenbach would be a part of the Braves rotation by summer, folks here thought it was laughable. Burkhalter, Hackenburg, AJSS, Waldrup, Braun, Lara. Get familiar w/those names because they’re coming soon. I’d rather see Elder or Anderson get rotation innings than waste millions on over rated Buehler. Best non signing by the Braves this off season.
Ladies and Gentlemen we have MLB right where we want them. ( I agree kinda Russian Roulette) but, once everyone is spent out on there budget then we (AA) make our move (trades maybe?). If not we get under luxury tax this year and sign what players are needed to win it all one more time next year before any of our (under contract) players leave. Hope this is the plan, being patient…….
Staying under the luxury tax threshold is not gonna replace Fried. Expecting Sale or Lopez to duplicate ’24’s numbers is like expecting our hitters to duplicate ’23’s numbers last year. And nobody knows what Strider after the injury is gonna do. Need pitching…Monty from AZ could be our best bet at this point. Gotta get AZ to pitch in $$$ though.
I would have hoped AA would have at least grabbed a fourth starter type and a semi regular corner OFer by now. Still time but looking like the price of FA starters and our lack of farm prospects is scuttling everything.
Maybe a reliever who can start can be added?
Sounds like a useful veteran depth arm, even if the club hasn’t been compelled to give him another look on the active roster.
He threw a no-hitter against me/my team in little league. He was way better than the rest of us!
His brother ended up having the better major league career though
I was surprised his brother had as long a career as he did. Pirates sure help AAAA players get a decent mlb career.
I just seen a poll on another site of the Braves off season. It’s was mainly 40% voted a D and 40% voted a F with the moves (or lack of so far). I would vote a F myself and I have been a fan since 1994.