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Braves Looking For High-Leverage Relief Help

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With the deadline now a day away, the Braves are looking for pitching, with Jon Heyman of The New York Post relaying that help at the back of their bullpen is a target area.

The club in Atlanta is in a stronger position than any other in the majors. They have a lead of 11.5 games in the National League East, while none of the five other division leaders have a gap larger than two games. They are the closest thing to a lock in baseball right now, with a potent lineup that’s strong from top to bottom and a rotation that’s set to see Max Fried come off the injured list soon.

Considering all that, there’s not too much for them to improve, but even the best teams can squeeze in another high-quality reliever. The bullpen in Atlanta is already in strong shape as it is, with their collective 3.67 earned run average the sixth-best in the majors. They’ve recently added Pierce Johnson into the mix but there’s no reason they couldn’t bolster the group even further.

There’s some precedent for the club adding to the top end of their bullpen even when it’s already in good shape, as it was just a year ago that they traded for Raisel Iglesias despite having Kenley Jansen already in the closer’s role. That was a bit of a future-focused move, as Jansen was an impending free agent but Iglesias still had three more years on the deal he originally signed with the Angels. It beefed up the relief corps for the stretch run while also allowing them to fill the closer vacancy before it even became vacant.

Here in 2023, Iglesias has taken a bit of a step backwards from his previous work. He suffered a right shoulder strain during Spring Training and began the season on the injured list but was able to return by early May. Since then, he’s recorded 20 saves, posting a 3.69 ERA in 34 appearances. That’s not a disastrous figure, but it’s a drop from his 2.55 mark across the three previous seasons. His 31.1% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate are both strong numbers, but slightly off from his 34.8% and 5.1% marks in that 2020-2022 stretch.

Most clubs would love to have an elite reliever like Iglesias, but the fact that Atlanta thinks it can upgrade in this department just goes to show how few holes the club has at the moment. But beyond Iglesias, their other high-leverage relievers also have some question marks. A.J. Minter got off to a terrible start, as he had a 7.43 ERA on May 26. He righted the ship with a 1.56 ERA over his next 20 appearances but then landed on the IL due to shoulder inflammation, just getting activated today. Kirby Yates has a 3.38 ERA but is working around a 13.1% walk rate thanks to a .226 batting average on balls in play and 87.1% strand rate. Collin McHugh has a 3.98 ERA as his strikeouts have been vanishing, punching out 16% of batters this year compared to 28.7% in the previous two campaigns. The club also has each of Dylan Lee, Jesse Chavez, Nick Anderson and Tyler Matzek currently on the 60-day injured list.

If Atlanta can find an elite arm to add into that mix, there’s some room for improvement. Heyman mentions Josh Hader of the Padres and David Bednar of the Pirates, but both will be hard to pry loose from their respective clubs. The Friars are five games out of a playoff spot but reporting seems to indicate they want to try to go for it rather than give up on their season. Unless they get blown away prior to the deadline, they might just hang on to Hader. The Bucs are out of contention but control Bednar for another three years and he’s a fan favorite, having grown up in the Pittsburgh area.

Scott Barlow of the Royals is probably available but he’s having a down year, with his 5.35 ERA more than double the 2.30 mark he had over the past two seasons. He’s probably been a bit unlucky given his .340 batting average on balls in play and 61.6% strand rate, but his 12.5% walk rate is also a big jump for his 8.4% clip in 2021-2022. The Mariners are reportedly willing to listen to offers on Paul Sewald, who has a 2.88 ERA from the start of 2021 to the present, striking out 35% of hitters in the process. The list of trade candidates includes many other potential options, with varying degrees of availability and skill.

Braves Designate Charlie Culberson For Assignment

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The Braves made a series of roster moves this morning, per a club announcement. The club designated infielder Charlie Culberson for assignment to create room on the 40-man and active rosters for newly-acquired infielder Nicky Lopez. Meanwhile, left-hander A.J. Minter was activated from the 15-day injured list. Minter claimed a roster spot that was vacated by right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver when he was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett last night.

Despite the fact that Culberson was selected to the Major League roster on June 30, he appeared in only one game with the Braves and tallied a single plate appearance on July 16, during which he delivered a base hit. He’s otherwise been on-hand as bench depth but hasn’t been plugged into a game. This is the second time this season Atlanta has designated the veteran utilityman for assignment; he cleared waivers, elected free agency and quickly re-signed on a new minor league deal last time around.

Culberson, 34, has also appeared in 24 Triple-A games this season, batting .204/.234/.255 through 107 trips to the plate. It hasn’t been a strong year on the whole, but he’s beloved in the Braves organization, from the clubhouse to the fanbase, for his prior stints there in 2018-20. During that three-year period, Culberson delivered roughly league-average offense on the whole and appeared at every position other than catcher and center field. His penchant for clutch hits and walk-offs endeared him to Braves fans during that time, and Culberson enjoyed a career-best season with Atlanta in 2018 when he hit .270/.326/.466 with a dozen homers in 322 plate appearances.

The Braves will have until tomorrow evening’s trade deadline to trade Culberson if they choose, but it seems likelier that they’ll hope to pass him through outright waivers. He’d have the ability to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency once again, but given how quickly he re-upped with the Braves on a new minor league deal last time around, the same sequence could play out following his second DFA of the season.

Latest On Justin Verlander

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7:36PM: The Braves have also “checked” on Verlander but aren’t currently in talks with the Mets, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets.

5:50PM: Following the Mets’ trade of Max Scherzer to the Rangers led to further increased speculation about a trade of fellow high-priced, multi-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. Several teams have been tied to the nine-time All-Star, including the Rangers, Astros and Dodgers. However, Andy Martino of SNY reports that the Mets value Verlander much differently than Scherzer. They’ve placed a higher asking price in terms of prospects and aren’t willing to pay down salary to the same extent they were in order to move Scherzer.

Astros fans may be hoping for a reunion with Verlander, who won his third career Cy Young Award in Houston last season, but it doesn’t appear that’s likely. Astros GM Dana Brown tells Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that his team isn’t in the market for a starting pitcher right now and is instead focused more on the back of the bullpen and a left-handed bat (Twitter link). Per Martino, the Astros indeed checked in on Verlander, but the teams were “nowhere close” to agreeing on his value.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale hears similarly, writing that while Houston and New York have indeed discussed a Verlander deal, an Astros source tells him they’d likely require the Mets to pay down a “significant” portion of Verlander’s salary this year and next. Verlander’s $35MM vesting option for the 2025 season, which triggers upon reaching 140 innings pitched next year, is another hang-up in a potential deal. All of that complicates a potential Verlander/Astros reunion, which clouds the water on a trade in general. Like Scherzer, Verlander has a full no-trade clause — and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the Astros are “perhaps” the team for which he’s most willing to waive that protection.

Broadly speaking, everything will hinge on Verlander’s preferences. Via SNY’s Steve Gelbs (Twitter link, with video), the 40-year-old righty said following Sunday’s game that his openness to a trade “largely depends on how the organization views next year,” adding that he’s “committed to trying to win a championship” in Queens but would be more open to waiving his no-trade protection if Mets decision-makers feel it’s best to take a step back in 2024. The Mets will have plenty of rotation questions with Scherzer now in Arlington and Carlos Carrasco hitting free agency at season’s end. Presently, Verlander, Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana are the only surefire starters signed into 2024. Depth options like David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi and Jose Butto all remain on hand as well.

Early indications are that the Mets don’t view this as a large-scale teardown. GM Billy Eppler plainly said after yesterday’s Scherzer trade that he does not view the current step back as a rebuild (link via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com) They’ll have ample financial firepower to pursue new arms to fill out the rotation in the offseason — with a particularly deep crop of free agent starters available. Shohei Ohtani, Julio Urias, Lucas Giolito, Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, Marcus Stroman, Jordan Montgomery and NPB ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto are among the names in the upcoming class of free agent arms.

The Mets already have nearly $220MM in guaranteed money on next year’s books, per Roster Resource — a number that includes the $26.833MM they’ll pay Scherzer. (Texas is picking up a reported $16.5MM of next year’s salary.) That’s before factoring in Brooks Raley’s $6.5MM club option or arbitration raises for a group of ten players, headlined by first baseman Pete Alonso. Owner Steve Cohen trotted out a record payroll of more than $350MM this season, so clearly the capacity for spending is there — it’ll just be a matter of whether the Mets want to spend to that extent again after this year’s efforts fell flat in notable fashion. Trading Verlander would radically lower that 2024 financial outlay, but it’d also only create another hole that the Mets would likely need to fill in the rotation (likely via free agency).

For now, they’ll have about 48 hours to see if anyone’s willing to meet their asking price on Verlander — and then to gauge whether the right-hander is amenable to the deal.

Braves, Royals Swap Nicky Lopez, Taylor Hearn

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The Braves have acquired infielder Nicky Lopez from the Royals in a one-for-one swap that will send left-hander Taylor Hearn to Kansas City.  The Braves have officially announced the deal, and MLB.com’s Anne Rogers was the first to report that Lopez was on his way to Atlanta.

Like most Royals players this season, Lopez has had an underwhelming year with the bat, hitting .210/.322/.280 over 187  plate appearances.  Lopez’s hitting has never been as much of a calling card as his defense, and he has delivered his usual above-average glovework backing up the infield at second base, third base, and shortstop.

He’ll bring that same versatile depth to the Braves, though Lopez’s playing time figures to be at a premium since Atlanta generally keeps its starters (including the infield core of Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, and Austin Riley) in the lineup at all times, even to the point of usually foregoing late-game defensive substitutions.  Still, with a big lead in the NL West, the Braves might look to give their regulars some extra rest going into the postseason, and Lopez at least provides some experienced depth if case an injury situation does arise.

Now in his fifth MLB season, Lopez has largely been a glove-first player who has seemed like a bit of a placeholder as Kansas City waited for its next wave of prospects (such as Bobby Witt Jr.) to reach the Show.  However, Lopez worked his way into a larger share of playing time, particularly after his quietly outstanding 2021 campaign.  Lopez had the 11th-best fWAR (6.0) of any player in baseball that season, pairing spectacular defense and baserunning with an above-average .300/.365/.378 slash line over 565 plate appearances.

In hindsight, the Royals perhaps might have looked at selling high on Lopez in the wake of that big season, though it’s understandable why K.C. would’ve also wanted to hang onto a possible hidden gem of a breakout player.  Moving the 28-year-old now officially turns the page on Lopez’s era in Kansas City, even though he was still under team control through the 2025 campaign.  It’s not a bad pickup for the Braves to land a depth option who can help now and potentially in future years, though Lopez will be due a raise on his $3.7MM salary this winter, and might be a non-tender candidate if Atlanta wants to trim its list of arbitration-eligibles.

Hearn finds himself on the move for the second time in less than a week, as the Braves just picked up the southpaw on July 24 in another trade that sent cash considerations to the Rangers.  Given that Texas had designated Hearn for assignment prior to working out the deal with Atlanta, it is a little curious that the Royals are surrendering Lopez to acquire him now rather than acquiring him at a lower cost shortly after his first DFA.  It’s possible this could be a precursor to another move.  Hearn’s ability to work as a reliever or a starter could allow him to fill several holes in Kansas City’s pitching staff should the Royals be on the verge of dealing from their rotation or bullpen before Tuesday’s trade deadline.  Austin Cox is the only other left-hander in the Royals’ bullpen, so Hearn also fits a more immediate need.

Hearn’s tenure in Atlanta ends after a single ignominious appearance, as he allowed four runs in one-third of an inning in Saturday’s 11-5 win over the Brewers.  That gives him a 14.73 ERA in 7 1/3 total innings in 2023 with the Braves and Rangers, though Hearn’s 3.66 ERA in 39 1/3 innings for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate is far more palatable.

Prior to Saturday, all of Hearn’s previous MLB experience had come with Texas, as he posted a 4.95 ERA over 222 innings from 2019-22 while starting 25 of his 88 games.  The lefty’s numbers as a reliever have been much better than his work out of the rotation, so a long relief role might be Hearn’s best option for the future.  Hearn doesn’t miss many bats (21.6% career strikeout rate), nor has he been great at limiting free passes, with a 10.5% walk rate over his time in the big leagues.

Braves Sign Four To Minor League Deals

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The Braves recently signed four players to minor league contracts, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. Three players — relievers Seth Elledge and Danny Young and outfielder Eli White — return to the organization after being cut loose within the past few days. Atlanta also added reliever Rowan Wick, who’d been released by the Cubs last week.

Wick, 30, appeared in the majors with Chicago every season between 2019-22. He combined for a 3.66 ERA across 137 2/3 innings, missing bats at a slightly above-average rate but issuing a few more walks than ideal. The Cubs ran him through outright waivers in Spring Training and had kept him in Triple-A for the first half.

The right-hander has had a tough season at the top minor league level. He’s been tagged for more than a run per inning through 30 1/3 frames. His 24.1% strikeout percentage was fine, but he’d walked upwards of 13% of batters faced and allowed nine home runs. The Braves will take a no-risk flier on a change of scenery. Wick is making $1.55MM this season; the Cubs are on the hook for that tab, as Atlanta will only owe him the prorated portion of the $720K minimum salary if he spends any time on the big league roster.

Elledge has bounced between three organizations on the year. The 27-year-old righty hasn’t gotten into an MLB game this year and still awaits his first opportunity since 2021. He’d elected free agency after being outrighted by Atlanta on Tuesday but quickly circled back on a new minor league pact (a fairly common course of action for players in that situation). He has a 4.66 ERA in 36 2/3 innings over three Triple-A affiliates on the season.

Young and White recently sustained season-ending injuries while playing for Gwinnett. Atlanta released both players to clear space on the 40-man roster as a result. They’re each back in the organization — perhaps on two-year minor league pacts — to rehab from those injuries without holding spots on the 40-man.

Braves Outright Lucas Luetge, Dereck Rodriguez

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The Braves announced Wednesday that left-hander Lucas Luetge and righty Dereck Rodriguez were both assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett after clearing waivers. Both were designated for assignment earlier this week, and both will have the option of rejecting an outright assignment in favor of free agency (though Luetge would forfeit the remainder of his $1.55MM salary in order to do so and is thus likely to accept).

Luetge, 36, came over from the Yankees in an offseason trade following a somewhat surprise DFA in the Bronx. He’d pitched to a 2.71 ERA with excellent strikeout and walk rates over 129 2/3 innings for the Yanks from 2021-22, but the decision to move on in spite of that success looks rather prescient; in 11 2/3 innings with Atlanta, Luetge has been tagged for 11 runs on 17 hits and seven walks. He’s been better in Gwinnett, where he’s allowed four runs with an 8-to-1 K/BB ratio in 9 2/3 innings.

Rodriguez, the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, was claimed off waivers from the Twins earlier this season and has appeared in two games with the Braves, tossing 2 2/3 shutout innings. He’s spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A between the Twins and Braves, pitching to a combined 5.79 ERA in 42 innings.

The 31-year-old Rodriguez, a sixth-round pick of the Twins back in 2011, has a career 4.22 ERA in 232 1/3 big league innings and a 5.12 ERA in 302 1/3 frames in parts of five Triple-A seasons.

Braves Agree To Minor League Deals With Mike Morin, Kodi Whitley

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The Braves recently added a couple relievers to the upper minors. Righty Mike Morin signed a minor league deal last week and has made a pair of appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett. Kodi Whitley is joining him after signing a non-roster pact on Monday, per the MLB.com transaction log.

Morin, 32, pitched in the majors every season from 2014-20. He posted a 2.90 ERA over 54 outings as a rookie for the Angels before struggling to a 6.37 ERA the next year. Morin would log parts of four seasons with the Halos before bouncing around the league. He suited up with the Twins, Mariners, Royals and Phillies before tossing four scoreless frames for the 2020 Marlins — his last MLB experience to date.

The North Carolina product had been pitching in the Mexican League early this year. A 2.89 ERA and excellent 26:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 18 2/3 innings earned him another affiliated opportunity.

Whitley, 28, logged parts of three seasons with the Cardinals. He tossed 42 2/3 innings combined from 2020-22, pitching to a 3.38 ERA despite a lofty 12.4% walk rate. Outrighted off St. Louis’ 40-man roster at the start of the offseason, he’d spent the year with their top affiliate in Memphis. The 6’3″ hurler posted a 5.19 ERA in 43 1/3 Triple-A frames and was released last week. He’ll look to pitch his way back to the big leagues with the second organization of his career.

Seth Elledge Elects Free Agency

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6:18pm: Elledge has elected free agency, tweets Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He had that right as a player who has been outrighted before in his career.

3:23pm: The Braves announced Tuesday that righty Seth Elledge, whom they designated for assignment on Sunday, has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett. He’d just had his contract selected from Gwinnett a few days prior but did not appear in a Major League game.

Elledge, 27, opened the season on Atlanta’s 40-man roster but was designated for assignment in early April and bounced to the Mets and Tigers via the DFA circuit. Detroit designated him for assignment late last month, and the right-hander rejected an outright assignment after clearing waivers. He later returned to the Braves on a minor league deal.

While Elledge was hit hard with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate this season, he posted solid numbers in Detroit’s system and has been excellent in Gwinnett for the Braves: 9 2/3 innings, 1.86 ERA, 34.4% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate. He’s still awaiting his first big league look since posting a 4.63 ERA in 23 1/3 innings with the Cardinals from 2020-21.

Braves Reportedly Interested In Adam Duvall

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After two previous stints with the Braves, Adam Duvall looks to be on the club’s radar again, as MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam writes that “the Braves are said to have some interest in yet another reunion with” the veteran outfielder.  Duvall would be a rental pickup, as his one-year, $7MM deal with the Red Sox is up at the end of the season.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Sox will even part ways with Duvall, as Boston is itself in a playoff chase.  The right-handed hitting Duvall has some obvious utility for the Red Sox given that he can at least passably play any of the three outfield positions, and Boston’s starting three outfielders (Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, and Alex Verdugo) are all left-handed bats.  Theoretically, Enrique Hernandez could move from the infield back into an outfield role if Duvall was moved, though Hernandez has been struggling through a rough year at the plate and could be a trade candidate himself at the deadline.

That wouldn’t stop the Braves from at least asking about Duvall, and some potential exists for Atlanta and Boston to line up on a deal that would address mutual needs on the big league roster.  Both clubs are looking for pitching, but as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes, the Braves might have something of a bullpen surplus once all of their relievers start to return from the injured list.  Speculatively, one of those Atlanta relievers might be of interest to the Red Sox, even if Boston needs rotation help more directly than another bullpen arm.

Since the Red Sox operated in both a buying and selling capacity at last year’s trade deadline, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom could explore a similar strategy this year, even though the Sox are in a better position to contend than the 2022 group.  The Braves are obviously aiming to win now, and given the past creativity of president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, any number of trade scenarios could exist between Atlanta and Boston.

Duvall is hitting .257/.320/.515 with seven home runs over 153 plate appearances this season, though a lot of that production came within an absurdly hot start.  Duvall had a 1.544 OPS and four homers in his first 37 PA, before a wrist fracture sidelined him for two months.  Upon his return, Duvall’s bat has been much quieter, with only a .194/.259/.350 slash line over his last 116 PA.  He has started to hit a little better in the last couple of weeks, and a trade (particularly to a familiar location like Atlanta) might further spark Duvall’s offense.

If a trade did happen, it would mark the fourth time in Duvall’s career that he has been traded at the deadline, with two of those prior swaps sending him to the Braves.  The Giants dealt Duvall to the Reds in July 2015, Cincinnati moved Duvall to the Braves in July 2018, and Atlanta picked him up yet again in a deal with the Marlins in July 2021.  The latter move is the most notable, as Duvall hit well for a Braves team that went on to capture the World Series.

Duvall would provide depth throughout Atlanta’s outfield, and would most likely pair with Eddie Rosario in a platoon in left field.  Both Rosario and Duvall are having some uncharacteristic reverse-splits seasons, so while it might end up being an unusual bizarro platoon, left field is Duvall’s easiest path to playing time since Ronald Acuna Jr. and Michael Harris II are entrenched in right and center field.  The left-handed hitting Harris might also be a platoon possibility, but Harris has been so hot at the plate over the last six weeks that the Braves likely want to keep him in the lineup as often as possible.

Braves Acquire Taylor Hearn

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The Braves announced that they have acquired left-hander Taylor Hearn from the Rangers in exchange for cash considerations, with right-hander Dereck Rodríguez designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Mark Bowman of MLB.com first reported that Atlanta was acquiring Hearn while David O’Brien of The Athletic first had the cash return. It’s the second pitching addition of the day for Atlanta, who also acquired Pierce Johnson from the Rockies.

Hearn, 28, has pitched for the Rangers since 2019, both as a starter and as a reliever but with much better results in the latter role. He’s allowed 6.36 earned runs per nine innings when starting but a far more palatable 3.94 ERA out of the bullpen. Despite that stark difference, Hearn generally got many starting opportunities as the club struggled to put a good rotation together.

They eventually did put a good starting corps together, signing pitchers like Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Martín Pérez, Jon Gray and Andrew Heaney, while trading for hurlers like Jake Odorizzi and Dane Dunning. Despite some injuries suffered by that group, it freed up Hearn to work more often as a reliever. But he spent much of 2023 on optional assignment, as he’s made just four big league appearances this year. He’s thrown 39 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.66 ERA, striking out 30.2% of opponents and getting grounders at a 45.2% clip, though also issuing walks to 13.4% of batters faced.

Despite some encouraging numbers in there, the Rangers wanted to get a look at Alex Speas, which nudged Hearn off the roster. Hearn will now get a fresh start with an Atlanta club that has a lead of 11.5 games in their division. Since no other club has a lead larger than four games, they are the biggest postseason shoo-in at the moment and seem to be making moves aimed at a postseason run. Their relievers have the second-best ERA in the league but they are still trying to improve the depth there, acquiring both Johnson and Hearn today. The latter is in his final option season and could potentially be sent to the minors when needed. If he hangs onto his roster spot through the rest of the season, he can be retained via arbitration for 2024, though he’ll be out of options next year.

In order to bring Hearn into the fold, Rodríguez is bumped off. The 31-year-old started the season with the Twins on a minor league deal, getting selected to the big league roster but designated for assignment after just one big league appearance. Atlanta put in a claim in mid-May and have used the righty as a frequently-optioned depth piece, making just two appearances at the major league level. He’s thrown 42 minor league innings this year between those two different organizations, with a combined ERA of 5.79. He’s struck out 24.1% of batters faced but walked 11.2%. Atlanta will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. In the latter scenario, he would have the right to elect free agency as a player with a previous career outright.

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