The Braves announced that right-hander Erick Fedde has been released, and that left-hander Aaron Bummer was placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Right-handers Wander Suero and Hunter Stratton were called up from Triple-A in corresponding roster moves.
It was just under a month ago that Fedde came to Atlanta in a trade with the Cardinals, with St. Louis covering Fedde’s remaining salary (roughly $2.7MM) for the slight return of cash considerations or a player to be named later. The Cards wanted to move an impending free agent in order to create more room in their rotation for younger pitchers, while the Braves just needed a fresh arm to cover innings in the wake of a swath of injuries to their starting pitching.
Unfortunately for Fedde and the Braves, the move didn’t work out. Fedde posted an 8.10 ERA over 23 1/3 innings in Atlanta, with an equal number (13) of walks and strikeouts over his five appearances. This gives Fedde a 5.76 ERA over 125 combined innings with St. Louis and Atlanta during the 2025 season, and a particularly glaring 10.32 ERA in his last 41 innings of work.
Cal Quantrill was claimed off waivers from the Marlins earlier this week in the Braves’ latest attempt at finding rotation help, which took Fedde out of a starting role. Though Atlanta could have designated Fedde for assignment, the straight release probably just streamlines the process and allows Fedde to reach the open market in a bit quicker fashion.
As extreme as Fedde’s recent struggles have been, it is possible he lands elsewhere before the 2025 season is over just because teams are forever in need of pitching depth. It was just a season ago, of course, that Fedde returned from a one-season sojourn in the KBO League to post a very solid 3.30 ERA over 177 1/3 innings with the White Sox and Cardinals in 2024. Another team might be interested in seeing if Fedde can recapture any of that form, and Fedde would surely love to end his season on some kind of a high note.
The seriousness of Bummer’s shoulder issue isn’t known, but since the Braves are out of the race, it is possible the southpaw could be shut down for the remainder of the season. Bummer has a 3.81 ERA, a solid 7.6% walk rate, and a below-average 21.6% strikeout rate over 54 1/3 relief innings for Atlanta this season, with that K% a marked step down from the 29.3% rate Bummer posted from 2020-24. Bummer’s 53.9% groundball rate is also a career low but still elite in relation to the rest of the league, which speaks to the left-hander’s prominence as one of the baseball’s top grounder specialists.
What a season it has been. The off season cant get here soon enough. At least Waldrep looks like he will hold down a spot in the rotation next season with Sale, Strider and Schwellenbach.
Strider has looked shaky
Indeed Strider has, but a normal off season and spring training without restrictions will help him. He wasnt going to be the same pitcher this season anyway coming off major arm surgery.
Skyrider: Sale will be 37 next year. Don’t hold your breath.
Sale will be fine as long as he doesnt dive for battled balls.
Fitting that “Bummer” is part of the title of any article on Fedde’s season
Fedde might be back in the KBO next year.
I was thinking this as well. Hope whatever happens it does him good. Hes had a really rough time in MLB aside from 2024
Is that like back in the USSR?
The Gangnam girls really knock him out.
Busan girls make him sing and shout
You don’t know how lucky you are, babe.
Sounds more like a future Yankee to me.
In a classic rearranging deck chairs move, the Yankees release Blackburn and sign Fedde.
Might be the best thing for him. He had his best season in his first season back from Korea, so whatever adjustments he made over there worked, at least briefly.
This team needs so many players next season to just be competitive. I dont envy the GM and the work he has ahead of him.
I don’t think they need as many as you think; our whole opening day starting staff is in the injured list. You get them back healthy for 2026; and there aren’t as many holes to fill as we believe. A couple bullpen arms; a back of the rotation starter and a infield option for 2nd and shortstop if Albies is still not hitting and this team is easily a wild card contender
Nah, they need a SS, 4th outfielder and some bullpen help. Another SP would be nice, but only if it’s King or Cease at a reasonable rate.
As far as SS goes, what free agent SS is going to come in for a 2/3 year deal? All the additional SS from the draft plus the other SS from the international draft, plus my pick Gil. By the end of 26 you could have 3/4 high ceiling SS who could be ready in a year or less. The Braves have Wadell from AAA, Brujian, the Ezecial guy from AA and the best defensive SS in the national league in Allen. It is slim pickings in the SS free agent market. A trade is possible but how many of these pitchers can we trade at this point? Fraley is the 4th outfielder audition of the moment, but it is anyones guess. Pen it does seem like AA to add 2/3 plus JJ and Lopez (innings limited) and Lara and Harris for the long haul. SoCalBrave would you rather have King or Cease since we are dreaming and it would never happen?
@83: I’m not SoCal, but I like your take on Gil and the other shortstops in the system, as well as your thoughts on the pen. Doubt the Braves would sign Cease because his agent is Scott Boras. Same for Zac Gallen. Michael King is repped by Excel Mgmt so he’s a possibility. AA will probably trade for a starter w/1-2 years of control—someone few of us are thinking about.
Good trade!
It cost the Braves very little. The gamble didn’t pay off but it was a very little gamble
We want Hayden Harris!!! And give Jesus Bastidas a shot over Nick Allen. I know they will need 40 man spots but there are plenty of 4a players in Gwinnett that are worth booting in order to just see if there is anything there!
There are currently 38 players on the 40-man roster. They could bring up a couple without dfa’ing anyone. They’ll also lose several players after the season’s over, so more spots will open up.
Thank you for correcting me on this, even more reason to give some guys a shot!
All the Braves dumpster picks are in their dumpster. How are they going to build for next season?
First off when you have your entire starting rotation on the injured list the first thing is just get them healthy. Than maybe a back end rotation arm. With Joe Jimenez back next year for the bullpen Braves probably just need 1-2 bullpen arms and the bullpen is fine. Having Acuna and Profar all season next year would be huge also.
I don’t think the Braves are as far away from a wild card type contender as many would believe.
I honestly think if the Braves hadn’t started 0-7 that this team would have been fine. I think some of the early slumps players had were because they were trying to do too much.
Releasing Griffin Canning made no sense at all. Even if things went well, he would have been an affordable backend of the rotation pitcher that they needed when he was released.
Yeah, that was a head scratcher, almost like having Kimbrel for one game (should have never picked him up). Some moves feel like optics, but we may not know the full story.
His arb number was going to be over 5. They went with Holmes instead and Holmes was better.
@lukentroy he wasn’t affordable at over $5M. That was the problem and the reason why the Angels were going to non-tender him just like the Braves did
If they upgrade SS and add a stater and 2 bullpen guys, we will not be playing for a wild card, we will be playing for a championship.
I somewhat agree with that assessment as long as the core stays healthy and performs. I don’t believe They have the cap space to sign everyone they need in free agency. They also don’t have the prospects to get a young controllable talent in return. Can they pull off taking on any more bad salaries for talent? Its going to be a tall order in the off season.
Wentz has been a find, though he may find life as a spot starter and/or long RP. Fedde/Quantrill weren’t worth the uniform devoted to them, but I’m sure they gave AA what he wanted, which is a higher probability for a higher draft pick (and larger bonus pool) for 2026. Allen wasn’t a part of this wave of pick-ups, but last, but he’s definitely justified the little risk with playing as a starter with one of the most valuable gloves (per OAA), despite an almost equally bad bat (per OPS+).
It’s embarrassing. Look, the entire fanbase screamed for more pitching depth last offseason and for whatever reason (I’m confident it’s to stay under the luxury tax threshold) they didn’t. Would it have fixed this problem? Probably not overall, but surely we would have a more competitive rotation at this point than it currently stands. We needed more bullpen depth also, which again, would have helped.
AA did not want to pay what the pitchers demanded. It was a sellers market and he choose not to buy. Embarrassing, no. In hind sight an even better choice. They had 20 or so to add additional payroll this year. Any starter or relievers added for that amount that would change this ship fate? The entire starting staff on the 60 day IL and 4 of the 8 position players being in the bottom 12 of position player hitting ranks at the all star break.–any chance of saving the season working out by adding some rando reliever and starter for 20 something million? Instead of being embarrassed fans should be excited about the possible lemonade from a lemon season. The additional money spent would have done very little and would have kept the Braves from a possible no 1 pick.
Fedde released alredde? Bummer.
*slow clap*
Well is wash already why not promote some of those kids in the minors. This off season i hope AA will sign or trade for 2 SP,SS,RP and LF.
Outfield’s the least of their worries. Profar’s more than ok in LF. Fix SS, tweak the pen like every team does in the off season, find another starter to bolster the rotation until the wave of good young starters in the upper minors are ready. Trade Alvarez and Elder.
Should have said “the starting 3 in the outfield are the least of their worries.” Sign a good 4th of’er like Mike Tauchmann. He’d be cheap. Can play all 3 spots, brings some good obp, average, a little power, good defense. Need to roster an effective 4th of’er like Tauchmann, especially if they decide to DH Acuna on a semi regular basis next year. Eli White’s good enough as the 5th of’er/defensive sub/pinch runner.
They did Fedde wrong putting him in from the pen on short rest and asking him to throw 93 pitches. Fedde you deserve better.