The Atlanta Braves made a move to fortify their bullpen, acquiring Brad Brach from the Baltimore Orioles for international signing bonus money.
Immediately after Chipper Jones’ Hall of Fame induction and Sean Newcomb’s near no-hitter, the Atlanta Braves made news again by trading for Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brad Brach.
Atlanta sent international slot money back to Baltimore to complete the deal.
It’s a move meant to shore up an Atlanta bullpen in dire need of assistance. Coming into Sunday’s games, the Braves have a relief ERA of 4.25, which ranks 19th in baseball.
Brach has put up less-than-stellar numbers in 2018 and would perhaps benefit from a change of scenery.
In 39 innings pitched this year, he’s put together an ERA of 4.85 while walking 4.38 batters per nine innings, according to Fangraphs.
But Brach’s track record will certainly be welcomed in Atlanta, who is without its closer Arodys Vizcaino for the forseeable future.
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman touched on the concerns of Vizcaino’s injury.
"Given Vizcaino has been bothered throughout this season with what has been termed right shoulder inflammation, there is certainly reason to be uncertain about his durability. The veteran reliever made just three appearances between two disabled list stints over the past five weeks. If he does not begin throwing again until the middle of August, he likely would not be deemed ready to rejoin Atlanta’s bullpen until some point in September."
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Brach will most certainly slide into a late-innings role with Atlanta. He’s accumulated 11 saves this season while tallying 18 in 2017.
Despite his unimpressive numbers this year with Baltimore, Brach’s history stands as one that would greatly benefit the Braves if he could return to top form.
The 6’6″ right-hander’s three-year performance from 2015-2017 sports a 2.65 ERA, an average of 84 strikeouts per season, and an All-Star appearance in 2016.
If Brach could pitch at that level again, it would certainly be a huge shot in the arm for a Braves relief corps that is in need of help.
This is the second addition the Braves have made to their bullpen in the last week, the other when they brought back left-hander Jonny Venters from the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Atlanta Braves now sit at 1.5 games back behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The addition of Brach to the bullpen will be an intriguing storyline to watch as the Braves try to land a spot in the postseason.