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Mariners Announce Six Roster Moves

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The Mariners announced on Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Ryan Weber off waivers from the Braves and designated catcher Steven Baron for assignment. Additionally, the team has outrighted catcher Steve Clevenger, left-hander Charlie Furbush and right-hander Ryan Cook off the 40-man roster. Beyond that, the Mariners also announced that righty Adrian Sampson has been lost on waivers to the Rangers (who made their own announcement of the move shortly before Seattle’s press release was issued).

Weber, 26, is the lone addition to the Mariners’ roster and will join the organization on the heels of a 2016 campaign that saw him post a 5.45 ERA in 16 appearances (two starts) with the Braves. Weber totaled 36 1/3 innings and averaged 5.7 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 to go along with very solid 50.8 percent ground-ball rate. His work in Triple-A Gwinnett was considerably more impressive, as he posted a 2.76 ERA with 6.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 in 62 innings there. Weber will give Seattle a depth piece for both the rotation and the bullpen and comes with a minor league option remaining, so there’s no need for him to break camp with the team next spring in order to remain in the organization (assuming he’s not trimmed off the 40-man roster later this winter).

Furbush, 30, is the most notable subtraction from the roster. He’s been a key cog in the Seattle bullpen since 2012 but missed the entire 2016 season due to shoulder troubles that ultimately resulted in surgery to repair a partial tear of his left rotator cuff in August. He’d likely have made the same $1.6MM that he made in 2016 if he remained on the roster and went through arbitration, so his outright, while noteworthy, isn’t much of a surprise, either. From 2012-15, Furbush logged a 3.23 ERA with 10.3 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 in 175 1/3 innings with Seattle.

Clevenger, meanwhile, is another unsurprising roster cut. Acquired in the much-maligned swap that sent Mark Trumbo to the Orioles this past offseason, he batted .221/.303/.309 in just 76 plate appearances and missed time with injury before ending his season on a team-issued suspension following some offensive tweets. While Mariners fans rightly cringe at the trade in retrospect, the deal was largely regarded as a salary dump at the time, and trade interest in Trumbo around the league was tepid, at best (hence the limited return).

As for Cook, the former Athletics standout has seen his career stall in recent years due largely to injuries, and 2016 brought more of the same. The Mariners announced in their press release that the 29-year-old had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 20, so he figures to be out for the entire 2017 season as well after only pitching a single inning with Seattle’s Rookie ball affiliate in 2016. Cook notched a 2.60 ERA and averaged better than a strikeout per inning in 190 1/3 frames over the first three seasons of his career in Oakland, but injuries have limited him to just 8 2/3 innings in the Majors since that time.

Baron, 25, was the 33rd overall pick in the 2009 draft but clearly hasn’t lived up to that draft billing. He’s gone hitless in his only 11 Major League plate appearances and has received very limited time in Triple-A, slashing .277/.316/.391 in 197 plate appearances. Overall, he’s a .234/.291/.341 hitter in 544 minor league games.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/31/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Brewers announced that utilityman Jake Elmore has elected free agency after rejecting an outright assignment last week. The 29-year-old Elmore logged 99 plate appearances with the Brew Crew this past season, hitting .218/.371/.244. While five of Elmore’s free passes drawn did come when he was hitting eighth in front of the pitcher, he does have a solid 10 percent walk rate for his career and has shown discipline even with another position player hitting behind him in the order. Despite that fact, though, he’s just a .215/.297/.280 hitter in 478 Major League plate appearances. His greatest asset may be his defensive versatility, as Elmore has played every position on the diamond — including pitching — in his big league career.
  • According to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy, veteran outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo has re-upped with the Braves on a minor league contract. The 30-year-old Tuiasosopo made a brief appearance on Atlanta’s big league roster this season and picked up three hitless plate appearances before being designated for assignment and landing back in Triple-A Gwinnett. In 248 plate appearances with Gwinnett this season, Tuiasosopo batted .246/.351/.483 with 11 homers and 17 doubles. That padded his career .247/.353/.418 line at the Triple-A level, which he’s amassed over parts of nine seasons. However, the former third-rounder (Mariners, 2004) has managed just a .206/.288/.353 line in 404 PAs across parts of five Major League seasons.

Braves Agree To Minor League Deal With Joel De La Cruz

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The Braves have re-signed right-hander Joel De La Cruz to a minor league contract after outrighting him last week, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.

De La Cruz, 27, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta last offseason after spending the bulk of his professional career in the Yankees’ minor league ranks. The 2016 season saw De La Cruz make his big league debut, and the Dominican-born righty wound up pitching a fairly substantial 62 2/3 innings for the Braves. Splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen, De La Cruz posted a 4.88 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 43.1 percent ground-ball rate. Per PITCHf/x data, Cruz averaged 91.3 mph on a sinker that he threw at a 51 percent clip, and he also utilized both a slider and a changeup.

In parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level, De La Cruz has a 4.15 ERA in 184 1/3 innings to go along with 5.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. This past season, he worked to a 4.68 ERA with Triple-A Gwinnett and posted a 47.3 percent ground-ball rate. De La Cruz will serve as a depth option for an Atlanta rotation that is currently rife with question marks. Julio Teheran figures to anchor the staff next season, and the Braves also have Mike Foltynewicz, Matt Wisler, Aaron Blair, Josh Collmenter, Williams Perez, Tyrell Jenkins and John Gant as internal options to round out the starting mix. GM John Coppolella has said that he’ll look to add a pair of Major League starters to complement that group, so De La Cruz could face an uphill battle when it comes to returning to the big league rotation, though he’ll make a handy depth option for the relief corps as well.

Quick Hits: McCann, Cards’ Pen, Salazar, Rea

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We’ve long heard chatter about a possible reunion between Yankees catcher Brian McCann and the Braves, and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman provides some hints about where things stand. New York has asked for righty Mike Foltynewicz or center fielder Ender Inciarte to part with the veteran receiver, which certainly sounds like a non-starter from here. An arrangement could yet make sense, Bowman writes, but Atlanta won’t include either of those two players.

Here are a few more notes from around the game:

  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch takes a long look at the question of whether the Cardinals can mimic some of the Indians’ success in finding a top-notch relief pitcher to throw in a flexible capacity, as Andrew Miller has done for Cleveland. Goold wonders whether either Trevor Rosenthal or Michael Wacha might be positioned to function in the role that he dubs the “fixer.”
  • Indians righty Danny Salazar may not just be a part of the World Series roster; he may be able to start. Manager Terry Francona wouldn’t rule out that possibility to reporters including Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. Francona has cast doubt previously on Salazar returning at all, noting that he had yet to throw at full capacity; this time, though, he says the prized righty was able to ramp up his arm speed and “threw the ball really well.” A three-inning sim game this weekend may decide Salazar’s postseason fate.
  • The Padres are still finding cause to hope that righty Colin Rea can stave off Tommy John surgery, which he has sought to do through a combination of platelet-rich plasma treatment and rehab/rest. As AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets, the team is deciding just how to give him some postseason pitching work to help make a final decision. Rea could appear in the Arizona Fall League, take part in live BP, or even head out for a partial winter ball run. Regardless, Rea is set to throw competitively in about three weeks’ time.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/21/16

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Here are today’s minor moves, with all links to the Twitter feed of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.

  • The Braves have signed lefty Sam Freeman to a minor league pact. Presumably, he’ll have at least some reasonable shot at pushing for a spot in the organization’s bullpen pecking order — if not even a big league job out of camp. The 29-year-old was rather productive from 2013 through 2015, posting a 2.74 ERA over 88 2/3 total innings, though organizations have never full trusted him with a locked-down MLB relief role. And last year was a tough one for Freeman, who not only scuffled at Triple-A (5.20 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 over 55 1/3 innings) but was hit hard in a brief stint at the major league level with the Brewers.
  • Another southpaw pen candidate, Onelki Garcia, is headed to the Royals on a minor league arrangement. The 27-year-old has seen only brief MLB action (just three appearances, in fact), and did not spend any time with a major league organization last year. But he did show rather well in the competitive Mexican League, for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico. Over 33 innings, Garcia worked to a 3.82 ERA on 28 hits with 8.2 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9.
  • Promising indy ball player Dalton Wheat has had his contract purchased by the Marlins, as his former team, the Kansas City T-Bones, announced recently. According to a gripping story in the Wyandotte Daily, Wheat isn’t just an interesting player who was overlooked after a strong D-II college career, leading Baseball America to name him the top indy ball prospect. He also already has a legitimately unusual, trademark attribute that will make him a fascinating player to watch as he enters the affiliated ranks. Beyond his top-end speed and solid on-base potential, Wheat truly shows up to work — taking his turns at the plate with a pair of standard-issue work gloves rather than typical baseball batting gloves. (Yes, the Wyandotte Daily provides a great photo.) Wheat tells a fan on Twitter that he’ll keep chopping wood in his signature handwear so long as the Marlins allow it.

NL East Notes: Marksberry, Desmond, Mets

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Braves left-hander Matt Marksberry, who as of Tuesday was battling potentially serious health issues, awoke from a medically induced coma yesterday, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Marksberry had been suffering from intense stomach pains and wound up suffering a seizure that led to a collapsed lung while at the hospital for treatment, according to O’Brien. Marksberry’s sister tweeted that her brother “still has a long journey ahead of him” as he recovers from the frightening incident. Needless to say, we’re happy to learn that the 26-year-old appears to be on the road to recovery and continue to hold Marksberry in our thoughts as we wish him a speedy recovery.

A few more items from the NL East…

  • Neither the Nationals nor Ian Desmond are entirely ruling out a reunion this winter, reports Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, though she characterizes the possibility as unlikely. Janes spoke to a team source who said, “I don’t see it, but anything is possible.” That’s far from a ringing endorsement for Desmond, but her colleague Thomas Boswell did lay out a scenario in which it could make sense: play Desmond in center field, move Trea Turner back to shortstop and deploy Danny Espinosa as a versatile utility infielder. Janes speculates that Desmond could realistically look to pursue something along the lines of Ben Zobrist’s four-year, $56MM pact, but that may be more than the Nationals care to invest, as she adds that the team “won’t stretch their means for his services.” Also, Janes writes that the Nats are looking to become a more contact-oriented team, and strikeouts remain an issue for Desmond despite his rebound campaign in Texas.
  • John Harper of the New York Daily News opines that while retaining Yoenis Cespedes should clearly be the Mets’ top priority this offseason, a pursuit of Kenley Jansen should be a close second. Harper argues that the $17.2MM value of the qualifying offer the team may be comfortable extending to Neil Walker would be better allocated to Jansen, who can team with Jeurys Familia and Addison Reed to give skipper Terry Collins one of the league’s most imposing bullpen trios, thereby taking some pressure off of a rotation that was plagued by injuries in 2016. There’s certainly merit to the notion, and the Mets have been willing to part with a first-round pick in the past for lesser-regarded players. However, while Harper throws out a speculative number of four years and $54MM, I’ll respectfully take the over on both of those figures, as both Jansen and Aroldis Chapman are in firm position not simply to surpass Jonathan Papelbon’s four-year, $50MM record for a relief pitcher but to absolutely shatter it by a substantial amount.

East Notes: Marksberry, Britton, Yankees, Cherington, Nats

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Our thoughts at MLB Trade Rumors are with Braves left-hander Matt Marksberry and his friends and family, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the 26-year-old is being treated for “severe dehydration” at an Orlando-area hospital after originally going in for a non-baseball procedure. As O’Brien writes, Marksberry’s brother said on Facebook earlier today that he was on life support, though O’Brien cites multiple people familiar with the situation in stating that Marksberry is unconscious but has stable vital signs. Earlier this week, Marksberry tweeted: “I don’t want to sound selfish but I really could use some prayers for my health right now. Non baseball related. Thank you guys.” While the specifics surrounding Marksberry’s health are unclear, it seems certain that the complications he’s currently battling could be fairly severe. MLBTR wishes him a quick return to full health.

As we keep the young left-hander in our thoughts, a few notes on the game’s Eastern divisions…

  • Orioles closer Zach Britton is very cognizant of the fact that the team traded former closer Jim Johnson when Johnson’s salary reached a level that Britton is projected to surpass this winter, he tells Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com. “You saw it with Jim Johnson, once the salary got up to a certain point, he got traded,” said Britton. “I think I’m kind of approaching there. So I don’t know how long I’m going to be here. You see how many relievers are on the move nowadays. But it’d be nice to stay here.” Britton says he’s open to a contract extension and has enjoyed his time in Baltimore since being drafted as an 18-year-old but added that much of the onus to bring those talks about lies on the team. As Connolly writes, the O’s have been reluctant in the past to negotiate with players on the heels of career years, and Britton’s 2016 season was not only the best of his career but one of the best of any reliever in recent history. In 67 innings, Britton posted an unthinkable 0.54 ERA, averaging 9.9 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 and recording a ridiculous 80 percent ground-ball rate along the way.
  • Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal News writes that had the Yankees made the postseason, they’d have somewhat surprisingly been among the least-reliant teams upon free agency in the playoffs. The Yankees are leaning more and more away from free agency these days, Jennings notes, shifting their focus to trades and player development instead. Though the Yankees have needs in both the rotation and the bullpen, Jennings surmises that the rotation help the Yankees figure to seek is likelier to come from trades than free agency, also noting that if there’s an asset in which the team will invest on the open market, a high-end reliever makes the most sense.
  • Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins spoke highly of vice president of baseball operations Ben Cherington, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald writes. The Twins “pushed hard” to persuade Cherington to lead their baseball operations department, per Drellich, but Cherington seems to have preferred a more low-key job that allows him to maintain a more normal routine. That may sound counter-intuitive, though as former Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos (now the Dodgers’ VP of baseball ops) explained to Drellich, the urgency to hold the coveted GM title is a bit reduced after already running a baseball ops department. As for Cherington’s role with the Jays, Atkins tells Drellich that Cherington will be involved in many facets of baseball operations: “I call him on a very regular basis on every front. And he’ll be involved in all of our offseason strategy, he’ll be involved in our draft, he’ll be involved in the international process. I’d imagine he’ll help negotiate contracts.”
  • The Nationals expect their entire coaching staff to return, tweets Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. As Castillo points out, that’s a complete 180-degree turn from last offseason, when the Nats fired not only manager Matt Williams, but nearly the entire coaching staff. In addition to bringing in manager Dusty Baker in 2016, the Nats hired veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux, baserunning guru/first base coach Davey Lopes, assistant hitting coach Jacque Jones, bench coach Chris Speier and bullpen coach Dan Firova. Each of those men will return for another season with the Nats, as will hitting coach Rick Schu and third base coach Bob Henley.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/18/16

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Here are the latest minor moves, via Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted:

  • The Braves re-signed catcher Blake Lalli after recently outrighting him. Lalli, 33, received a brief MLB cameo for the first time in quite a while, but hasn’t spend much time in the majors and figures to remain in the upper minors next year. He carries a .265/.316/.376 batting line over parts of five seasons at Triple-A.
  • Meanwhile, the Braves outrighted 26-year-old lefties Matt Marksberry and Andrew McKirahan as well as shortstop Daniel Castro. Marksberry has made 35 appearances over the last two seasons, posting a composite 5.06 ERA, though he was effective in 42 2/2 frames in the upper minors last year, carrying a 2.32 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. McKirahan spent the year recovering from Tommy John surgery. As for Castro, 23, the last two years have come with a fair amount of major league opportunities, but his bat hasn’t been up to the task. Over 239 total plate appearances, he has hit just .217/.250/.265.
  • The Pirates re-signed righty Casey Sadler to a minor league deal. Sadler, 26, made a nice spot start in 2016 but spent most of the year working at Triple-A. He wasn’t able to repeat his quality earned run numbers from the prior two seasons in the upper minors, pitching to a 4.22 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over 81 frames in 13 starts.
  • Young Mexican third baseman/catcher Victor Ruiz is heading to the Reds from the Tijuana Toros, Cincinnati announced. Reds director of international scouting Tony Arias says that Ruiz has been on Cinci’s radar for some time, praising the youngster’s hitting ability, his “very good hands and a good throwing arm,” and also his “leadership and competitive qualities.”

Rule 5 Roundup

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We’re just a few months away from this winter’s Rule 5 draft, so it makes sense to take a look back and see how things shook out from the 2015 selections. Several organizations found useful players, even if the most recent class didn’t include an Odubel Herrera-esque breakout sensation. Some of the most recent draftees have probably locked up MLB jobs again for 2017, though others who stuck on a major league roster all year may head back to the minors for further development. (Once a player’s permanent control rights have been secured, his new organization is free to utilize optional assignments as usual for future years.)

Here’s a roundup of the 2015 draft class with the 2016 season in the books:

Keepers

  • Tyler Goeddel, OF, kept by Phillies from Rays: The 23-year-old struggled with the aggressive move to the big leagues, carrying a .192/.258/.291 batting line in 234 trips to the plate, but showed enough for the rebuilding Phillies to hold onto him all year long.
  • Luis Perdomo, RHP, kept by Padres (via Rockies) from Cardinals: It didn’t look good early for Perdomo, but he showed better after moving to the rotation and ended with a rather promising 4.85 ERA over twenty starts. Though he struggled to contain the long ball, and only struck out 6.4 per nine, Perdomo sported a nifty 59.0% groundball rate on the year.
  • Joey Rickard, OF, kept by Orioles from Rays: After opening the year with a bang, Rickard faded to a .268/.319/.377 batting line on the year but held his roster spot in Baltimore. He ended the season on the DL with a thumb injury, though, and may end up at Triple-A for some added seasoning.
  • Joe Biagini, RHP, kept by Blue Jays from Giants: The only Rule 5 pick to appear in the postseason, Biagini was a great find for Toronto. He ended with 67 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA pitching, with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, and now looks like a potential fixture in the Jays’ relief corps.
  • Matthew Bowman, RHP, kept by Cardinals from Mets: Bowman rounds out a trio of impressive relievers. He contributed 67 2/3 innings with a 3.46 ERA and 6.9 BB/9 against 2.7 BB/9 to go with a monster 61.7% groundball rate.

Retained By Other Means

  • Deolis Guerra, RHP, re-signed by Angels (who selected him from Pirates) after being outrighted: Guerra was in an unusual spot since he had previously been outrighted off of the Bucs’ 40-man roster when he was selected, meaning he didn’t need to be offered back. Los Angeles removed him from the major league roster and then brought him back on a minor league deal, ultimately selecting his contract. Though he was later designated and outrighted by the Halos, Guerra again returned and largely thrived at the major league level, contributing 53 1/3 much-needed pen frames with a 3.21 ERA on the back of 6.1 K/9 against just 1.2 BB/9.
  • Jabari Blash, OF, acquired by Padres (who acquired Rule 5 rights from Athletics) from Mariners: Blash’s intriguing tools weren’t quite ready for the majors, but San Diego struck a deal to hold onto him and was surely impressed with his showing at Triple-A. In his 229 plate appearances there, Blash swatted 11 home runs but — more importantly — carried a .415 OBP with a much-improved 66:41 K/BB ratio.
  • Ji-Man Choi, 1B, outrighted by Angels after Orioles declined return: The 25-year-old scuffled in the bigs but was rather impressive at the highest level of the minors, where he walked nearly as often as he struck out and put up a .346/.434/.527 slash with five home runs in 227 plate appearances.

Returned

  • Jake Cave, OF, returned from Reds to Yankees: After failing to crack Cinci’s roster out of camp, Cave impressed at Double-A but slowed at the highest level of the minors (.261/.323/.401 in 354 plate appearances) upon his return to the New York organization.
  • Evan Rutckyj, LHP, returned from Braves to Yankees: Sent back late in camp, the 24-year-old struggled in limited action on the Yanks’ farm after missing most of the season with elbow issues.
  • Josh Martin, RHP, returned from Padres to Indians: In his first attempt at Triple-A, Martin posted 66 frames of 3.55 ERA pitching with 8.2 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9.
  • Daniel Stumpf, LHP, returned from Phillies to Royals: Slowed by a PED suspension, Stumpf was bombed in a brief MLB stint with the Phils but dominated at Double-A upon his return to K.C., posting a 2.11 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings.
  • Chris O’Grady, LHP, returned from Reds to Angels: Sent back in late March, O’Grady compiled a 3.48 ERA over 95 2/3 innings in the upper minors, though he performed much better as a Double-A starter than he did as a Triple-A reliever.
  • Zack Jones, RHP, returned from Brewers to Twins: The 25-year-old was out with a shoulder injury for most of the year, and ended up being sent back to Minnesota in late June, but has shown swing-and-miss stuff when healthy.
  • Blake Smith, RHP, returned from Padres to White Sox: Smith ended up making a brief MLB debut upon his return to Chicago, but spend most of the year pitching well at Triple-A Charlotte, where he ran up a 3.53 ERA in 71 1/3 innings with 9.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.
  • Colin Walsh, INF, returned from Brewers to Athletics: After struggling badly in his major league stint with the Brewers, Walsh went to Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate and put up a .259/.384/.388 bating line over 245 plate appearances.

Braves, Jim Johnson Agree To Two-Year Extension

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TODAY: Johnson’s contract is worth $10MM in guaranteed money, The Associated Press reports.  He will be paid $4.5MM in 2017 and 2018, with a $1MM signing bonus.  The righty can earn up to $1.75MM in performance bonuses each season based on games finished.  Johnson earns $250K for finishing 30 games, and then another $250K for hitting each of the 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60-game thresholds.

OCTOBER 2: Braves reliever Jim Johnson could have hit free agency during the offseason, but the 33-year-old will instead continue his career in Atlanta. He and the Braves have agreed to a two-year contract extension, according to a team announcement. Financial details are not yet available, but the deal will keep the Moye Sports Associates client under Atlanta’s control through the 2018 season.

Jim Johnson

Johnson is amid his second stint as a Brave after signing a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the club last offseason. That ended up being a bargain for the rebuilding Braves, as Johnson has logged a 3.11 ERA, 9.33 K/9 and 2.83 BB/9 over 63 2/3 innings. Johnson has also kept up a career-long trend of inducing ground balls, having posted a 55 percent mark, and added 19 saves on 22 chances. Overall, 2016 has been a major bounce-back season for Johnson, who fared poorly with the Tigers, Athletics and Dodgers during the previous two campaigns.

Despite his struggles elsewhere, Johnson has clearly found a home in Atlanta. Previously, he recorded a 2.25 ERA over 48 innings with the team in 2015 before it traded him to Los Angeles in July. Part of the reason for Johnson’s success with the Braves is his strong relationship with pitching coach Roger McDowell, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com (Twitter link). Going forward, the longtime Oriole – who has 153 career saves – said Sunday the plan is for him to remain as the Braves’ closer, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). That means Johnson will continue leading a bullpen cast that should include the likes of Ian Krol, Arodys Vizcaino and Mauricio Cabrera, among others, in 2017.

It’s unknown how much interest Johnson would have garnered as a free agent, of course, but playoff contenders were zeroing in on him as a trade target over the summer. In fact, a deal nearly came to fruition in late July, and the Blue Jays, Mets and Rangers were among the clubs that eyed Johnson in advance of the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. An unidentified team also claimed Johnson on revocable waivers in August, but the Braves pulled him back after they and the other club weren’t able to agree on a trade. Now, after nearly joining his sixth major league team over the summer, he’s primed to stay in Atlanta for the next couple years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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