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Braves Select Charlie Culberson

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The Braves announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Charlie Culberson. Atlanta non-tendered the 31-year-old this past offseason but quickly re-signed him to a minor league pact. He’ll now play a third straight season in Atlanta.

Culberson provided some big hits for the Braves in 2018, shaking off a terrible start to the season and emerging as a fan favorite after a career-best .270/.326/.466 batting line in 322 plate appearances that season. Things didn’t go as well for Culberson in 2019, as his line dipped to .259/.294/.437 in 144 plate appearances. Culberson has played every position except catcher and center field in the Majors — including three innings on the mound. He’ll give the Braves some versatility off the bench with rosters expanded to 30 players to begin the year. Culberson’s minor league deal included a $1MM base salary upon making the roster, and the prorated portion of that checks in just over $370K.

Braves Place Jacob Webb, Phil Pfeifer On 45-Day Injured List

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The Braves have placed a pair of young hurlers on the 45-day injured list, as David O’Brien of The Athletic covers on Twitter. Righty Jacob Webb is dealing with a shoulder strain, while southpaw Phil Pfeifer has been diagnosed with a bone contusion in his pitching elbow.

This news makes it rather unlikely we’ll see either of these pitchers in the 2020 regular season, though it doesn’t formally rule out the possibility. The typical 60-day injured list has been shortened to a 45-day minimum for the 2020 season. While these injuries dent the Braves’ pitching depth, the procedural moves open up 40-man roster space to bring in new arms.

Webb, who’ll soon turn 27, turned in a sparkling 1.39 ERA in his first 32 1/3 MLB innings last year. While the peripherals — 7.8 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, 38.2% groundball rate — didn’t support the results, it’d be hard to deny him a pen slot. Unfortunately, Webb dealt with elbow woes late in 2019 and has now come down with further arm troubles despite the lengthy layoff.

It’s also unfortunate to see Pfeifer go down when he was so close to making his major-league debut. The 28-year-old had seven strong appearances this spring after earning his way onto the 40-man roster with an excellent 2019 effort. Pitching at three levels last year — as a starter in High-A and then increasingly as a reliever as he moved into the upper minors — Pfeifer ran a 2.97 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over 133 1/3 frames.

Braves Sign Matt Adams

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The Braves announced today that they have signed first baseman Matt Adams. It’s a minor-league arrangement.

Adams had recently opted out of his deal with the division-rival Mets. Though there just wasn’t room for him on the New York roster, it seems the left-handed hitter showed enough to earn a spot in the Atlanta 60-man player pool.

This isn’t the first go-round for Adams with the Braves. He had a productive part-season stint with the team in 2017 — so much so that Freddie Freeman lined up at third base to keep Adams in the lineup. While he was also effective at the plate in 2018, Adams limped to a .226/.276/.465 slash line in 333 plate appearances last year with the Nationals.

Cole Hamels To Miss Start Of Season

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TODAY: Snitker confirmed that Hamels will miss the beginning of the season and will likely be placed on the 10-day injured list.  (Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was among those to report the news.)

JULY 16: The Braves will likely open the season without left-hander Cole Hamels, manager Brian Snitker said Thursday (via Mark Bowman of MLB.com).

Hamels signed a one-year, $18MM contract with the Braves in the offseason, but the former Phillie, Ranger and Cub has since endured an injury-laden few months. He didn’t pitch at all in spring training because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The 36-year-old Hamels looked like a lock to miss the start of the season then, but the game’s months-long shutdown seemed to make it likely he’d be ready for the abbreviated campaign. Instead, though, Hamels has battled another problem – triceps tendinitis – that has slowed him in Summer Camp.

The good news is that Hamels was able to throw a side session Thursday without experiencing any pain, according to Bowman. However, it remains unclear how much time the long-effective innings eater will miss. If and when he’s able to take the mound in 2020, Bowman notes the Braves will be cautious with him, at least at first, with three- to four-inning appearances.

As for how the Braves will proceed without Hamels, Bowman lists touted young righty Kyle Wright, veteran RHP Josh Tomlin and lefty prospect Tucker Davidson as candidates for the last spot in their rotation. Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb are slated to occupy the top four spots for the back-to-back NL East champions.

Freddie Freeman Discusses COVID-19 Recovery

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COVID-19 has taken its toll on the baseball world, with Freddie Freeman being one of the most prominent names to test positive for the virus.  Now recovered and back at the Braves’ camp, Freeman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Gabriel Burns and other reporters about his experience, which included a week of symptoms that even left Freeman fearful for his life on the evening of July 3 when he ran a fever of 104.5 degrees.  “I said a little prayer that night.  I’ve never been that hot before.  My body was really, really hot,” Freeman explained.  “So I said, ’Please don’t take me.’  I wasn’t ready.  It got a little worrisome that night for me.”

Braves Add Josh Tomlin, Yonder Alonso To 40-Man Roster

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The Atlanta Braves added Josh Tomlin and Yonder Alonso to the 40-man roster today, per David O’Brien of The Athletic.

Tomlin, 35, spent last season in the Braves bullpen. It was his first year away from the Cleveland Indians, where he spent the first nine years of his career as a sometimes-regular piece of the rotation. Pitching out of the Braves pen in 2019, Tomlin appeared 50 times (with 1 start as well), going 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA/4.49 FIP across 79 1/3 innings. He’ll continue to be a long man for the Braves in 2020.

Alonso has bounced around in recent seasons since his days as a regular first baseman with the Padres and A’s. After coming up with the Reds, he has also appeared in the bigs with the Mariners, Indians, White Sox, and Rockies.

The Braves’ roster construction has gone through a number of potential iterations since the restart was announced. Freddie Freeman’s debut was at risk after he tested positive for coronavirus, but their franchise first baseman is back and he plans to be ensconced in the middle of the lineup by Opening Day.

Still, Alonso provides the Braves with a safety net. He struggled mightily to start the year in 2019 while in Chicago (.178/.275/.301 across 251 plate appearances), but after joining the Rockies, Alonso stepped up his production to .260/.357/.479, albeit over a small sample of just 84 plate appearances. Alonso has experience in the DH role, and he’ll compete with Adam Duvall, Austin Riley, and Charlie Culberson to snag the extra ABs afforded by the universal DH. The 33-year-old is a career .259/.332/.404 batting line with 100 home runs over his 10 years in the bigs.

Yasiel Puig Tests Positive For Coronavirus; Deal With Braves Reportedly Off

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Outfielder Yasiel Puig will not be signing with the Braves after all, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Puig reportedly agreed to a contract with the Braves earlier this week, but he announced Friday on Twitter that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. That was enough to scuttle the deal for Atlanta, which Rosenthal writes never actually reached an agreement with Puig.

Of course, this is a stunning turn of events for the Braves and Puig. First and foremost, though, is the 29-year-old’s health. Fortunately, he tweeted that he’s asymptomatic and feeling fine. Puig will need two negative tests before he’s eligible to return to action, which suddenly looks in jeopardy of happening at all in 2020 now that his pact with the Braves won’t go through. It’s unclear whether the Braves will circle back to the righty-swinging Puig in the near future. For now, they’re looking for a left-handed-hitting bench option to supplement their offense, according to Rosenthal.

Even before this development, Puig went through a surprisingly difficult few months. While he has been a solid contributor for most of his career, which began with the Dodgers in 2013, a down 2019 between Cincinnati and Cleveland led to a tepid market in free agency. The months-long COVID-19 shutdown that prevented teams from making transactions also didn’t help Puig’s cause. Once he regains his health, he’ll surely try yet again to land a contract with a major league team. Even if he does, he probably won’t be able to debut this season until at least sometime in August.

The Braves received great news Friday when first baseman and lineup linchpin Freddie Freeman was cleared to return to action, but their outfield depth has taken multiple hits of late. Before the failed Puig deal, veteran Nick Markakis opted out of the season over health concerns. They do currently have Ronald Acuna Jr., Marcell Ozuna and Ender Inciarte as starters in the grass, though, and their track records indicate they should make for a quality trio. Prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters may not be far off, but Pache is dealing with an ankle injury at the moment. Otherwise, Austin Riley, Adam Duvall and Charlie Culberson could be the team’s top reserves in the outfield.

Freddie Freeman, Touki Toussaint Cleared To Rejoin Braves

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Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and right-hander Touki Toussaint have been cleared to rejoin the club, Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Both players have been out since July 4 because of positive coronavirus tests. Reliever Will Smith landed on the shelf when Freeman and Toussaint did, but he hasn’t been cleared yet, per David O’Brien of The Athletic.

It’s not known how long it will take for either Freeman or Toussaint to ramp up, though manager Brian Snitker said Thursday that the Braves hadn’t yet ruled out Freeman for the Braves’ season opener on July 24. Whether or not he plays then, it’s clear Freeman’s season debut should come sooner than later, which no doubt comes as an enormous relief for the team. After all, Freeman’s a four-time All-Star who continued his reign as one of the game’s most feared hitters last season.

Toussaint doesn’t carry that type of prestigious track record, having thrown 70 2/3 innings with a 4.97 ERA/4.49 FIP and 9.81 K/9 against 5.99 BB/9 since he first reached the majors in 2018. But the 24-year-old’s a former high-end prospect whose return is a welcome one considering the need for pitching in a pandemic-shortened season. And the Braves could use the depth with Smith’s status up in the air, injured lefty Cole Hamels unlikely to be available for the start of the season, and righty Felix Hernandez having opted out of the campaign.

Latest On Freddie Freeman

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A positive COVID-19 test has shelved Braves star Freddie Freeman since early July, but the first baseman is not a sure bet to miss Opening Day on the 24th. Manager Brian Snitker told Mark Bowman of MLB.com and other reporters Thursday that the Braves haven’t ruled out Freeman for the start of their season. Snitker added that Atlanta will likely make a decision on Freeman after Friday, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets.

Fortunately, Freeman is doing much better now, but his illness seemed quite severe at the outset. Teammate and outfielder Nick Markakis even elected to opt out of the season after talking with Freeman, saying: “That opened my eyes. He didn’t sound good.”

Not long after Markakis made his choice, the Braves reached a deal with Yasiel Puig as a replacement in their outfield. Puig’s bat could also help matters if the Braves have to go without Freeman for any amount of time. That said, there’s no realistic hope of replacing Freeman’s on- or off-field impact on the organization. The 30-year-old enjoyed yet another terrific season in 2019, batting .295/.389/.549 (141 wRC+) with a career-high 38 home runs in 692 plate appearances.

While Freeman is getting closer to a return, the Braves had to place first baseman/outfielder Peter O’Brien on the 10-day injured list Thursday after he was exposed to someone with the coronavirus, per David O’Brien. Peter O’Brien didn’t test positive, however. The 30-year-old, whom the Braves signed to a minor league contract in the offseason, made their initial 60-man player pool.

Braves To Sign Yasiel Puig

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5:35pm: Puig agreed to a one-year deal with Atlanta, per Charles Odum and Ben Walker of the Associated Press.

2:50pm: The Braves have agreed to a deal, pending a physical, with free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). The agreement brings to a close a lengthy free-agent saga for the mercurial Puig, who is a known commodity for Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos (formerly the Dodgers’ VP of baseball operations). Puig is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

Yasiel Puig | David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

Puig, 29, was the most prominent name among unsigned free agents, having gone the entire offseason without agreeing to a deal and then enduring a league-wide transaction freeze during the pandemic that further slowed his path to a team. He reportedly received offers from the Marlins and Orioles along the way — as well as some interest from the Korea Baseball Organization — but Puig never found an offer to his liking it seems. It’s doubtful that he’ll command the sizable multi-year deal he sought over the winter in this new arrangement with Atlanta, but he’ll join a club with obvious postseason aspirations.

The Braves, of course, just lost one notable outfield option last week when veteran Nick Markakis announced that he will not play in 2020. Puig will give the Braves another accomplished bat who offered similar production to Markakis in 2019. While the Atlanta outfield was already largely set with Marcell Ozuna, Ender Inciarte and Ronald Acuna Jr., the addition of Puig will allow the Braves to rotate all their corner-outfield options (also including Adam Duvall) through left field, right field and DH while keeping everyone fresh. Acuna can also play center field in place of Inciarte, so we’ll surely see days where Ozuna, Acuna and Puig are lined up left-to-right in the outfield — perhaps with Duvall at designated hitter.

Puig split the 2019 season between Ohio’s two clubs, opening the year with the Reds before being moved to the Indians — while in the midst of an on-field brawl, no less — in the three-team blockbuster that sent Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati. While he was generally a solid bat, his offensive output didn’t quite mirror his past standards. Puig appeared in 149 games and, in 611 plate appearances, batted .267/.327/.458 with 24 long balls — albeit just two following his trade to Cleveland. In a season that saw enormous spikes in offensive output thanks to the altered composition of the ball, Puig’s line checked in right about at the league average (101 wRC+, 100 OPS+). That lines up quite similarly with Markakis (102 wRC+, 98 OPS+) but falls well shy of 2017-18, when Puig was roughly 20 percent better than a league-average hitter.

Given the difference in age, though, there’s more reason to expect a rebound out of Puig than there would’ve been from the 36-year-old Markakis. Adding Puig and Ozuna to an already strong core won’t make up for the loss of Josh Donaldson, but it’ll give the Braves an unquestionably deep reservoir of bats from which to draw as they look to nail down a third straight NL East division title.

From a defensive standpoint, Puig played an average right field last year according to each of Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average. His glovework in the past has ranged from passable to excellent in any given year, depending on one’s preferred metric. At the very least, though, it’s reasonable to expect Puig to be at least an average bat and an average corner defender, making him a nice pickup for Atlanta.

The Braves initially announced 56 players in their 60-man player pool for the 2020 season, although both Markakis and veteran right-hander Felix Hernandez can be subtracted from that number after opting out of the season. Atlanta has also had four players, including cornerstone Freddie Freeman, test positive for COVID-19. If any are placed on the IL as a result, they won’t count against the player pool. Even with no IL placements and after adding Bryce Ball to the player pool recently, the Braves will have space in their 60-man pool for Puig. The Braves also had a vacancy on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding move will need to be made to accommodate Puig’s presence on the roster.

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