The Atlanta Braves continued building their depth with the acquisition of Rene Rivera on Wednesday.
Early Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves acquired back up catcher, Rene Rivera, from the Los Angeles Angels through a waiver claim. Prior to the season, Rivera had signed with Los Angeles for $2.8 million over one year. The Atlanta Braves will be responsible for the amount that remains.
This move is just the latest for a Braves team who has had a busy trade season. They have been very active before and after the non-waiver deadline, as they have strengthened their team for the home stretch of the season.
Following play on Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves sit atop of the National League East with a record of 74-57. The Philadelphia Phillies are the Braves’ only true competitor, sitting in second place with a record of 71-62, four games out of first place.
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While the club already has Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki forming a formidable one-two punch at catcher, Rene Rivera will provide depth for the Braves as he will be a valuable insurance policy in the event of an injury. The team also recently removed Chris Stewart from its 40-man roster, it is reasonable to assume that Rivera’s acquisition was a corresponding move.
Rene Rivera will not provide the Braves with much offense, as he has always been a defense-first catcher. Rivera has received praise for his ability to handle pitchers and the running game. Over his career, the journeyman catcher has also been a decent pitch framer.
Injuries have limited Rivera to only 30 games in 2018. The righty has hit four home runs, with 11 RBIs and has slashed .244/.287/.439. This level of production from a backup catcher is very respectable.
With all of their acquisitions and their current four-game lead, it is hard to picture the Phillies catching the Atlanta Braves down the home stretch of the season. Both young teams should be very excited as they have not played meaningful September baseball in a number of years.