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(Non-GT)Atlanta Braves Baseball....new beginnings

Buzzforlife

Buzzforlife

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Sep 14, 2015
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Such sad news. He was a fellow poet and writer. Wonderful athlete, Tech Man, Baseball great!

C.J. and I visited with him at a Braves home game, a few years back. He shared so much with us, an open book. We talked about the Shrine, Hospital Charities we are involved with. Just a wonderful, colorful man.

Condolences to the family. God has him now.
 
Another exciting move to bring in a base on balls pitcher while giving him an invite to spring training camp:

The Braves have struck a minor league deal with lefty Alex Torres, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports on Twitter. He’ll receive an invitation to big league training camp this spring.

Torres just turned 28 in December and has seen fairly consistent time in the big leagues over the past three years. But he was designated for assignment by the Mets last August.

At the surface, that was a puzzling move for New York, which had acquired Torres over the prior winter and received 34 1/3 innings of 3.15 ERA pitching with 35 strikeouts. But a closer look revealed the obvious cause: Torres also permitted 26 free passes in that span and was ineffective against opposing lefties, who touched him for a .268/.406/.393 batting line.

Atlanta will hope that Torres can return to the form he showed over 2013-14. While he was still wild at times — especially in the latter season — he did put up 112 innings of 2.49 ERA pitching while posting 9.1 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9.

The route back isn’t immediately clear. Torres hit the strike zone with just 41.0% of his pitches in 2015, but that was actually up from his 2014 campaign. The biggest issue, it seems, was a drop in his swinging strike rate — from nearly 13% in the prior two years to 9.2% — that occurred as batters made more frequent contact while chasing less of his offerings outside of the zone.

If the Braves and Torres can figure things out, there’s some potential future upside for the team — and not just through the possibility of a mid-season flip. Torres will enter the year with just 2.095 days of service, meaning he could be controlled for up to three more seasons via arbitration.
 
Braves To Sign Kyle Kendrick
By Zach Links | December 31, 2015 at 1:20pm CST

1:20pm: Kendrick’s deal will call for him to earn a $2MM base if he makes the big league roster and incentives can boost the total value to $6MM, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweets.

10:09am: The Braves announced that they have signed right-hander Kyle Kendrick to a minor league deal. The pact includes a non-roster invite to spring training.

Kendrick, 31, is coming off a poor season with the Rockies after signing a one-year, $5.5MM contract last winter. As a fifth starter that doesn’t miss many bats, Kendrick and Coors Field always seemed like a poor fit, but he presumably went with the largest guarantee offered to him last winter.

In 142 1/3 innings with the Rockies, Kendrick limped to a 6.32 ERA. His K/9, BB/9 and ground-ball rates each trended in the wrong direction in his lone season in Denver, and he finished the year with respective marks of 5.1, 2.9 and 38.8 percent in those regards. While Kendrick’s season was easily the worst of his career and likely hampered his 2015-16 market, he did have a track record as a serviceable source of 25 to 30 starts per year in a different hitter-friendly environment: Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.

From 2010-14, Kendrick worked to a 4.33 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate near 46 percent in 835 2/3 innings. He missed some time this past year with inflammation in his right shoulder and has previously spent time on the DL (2013) for the same injury.

Earlier this month, the Pirates were mentioned as a club with interest in Kendrick and that pairing would have made a lot of sense given the club’s reputation for restoring the values of veteran pitchers who have stumbled. Instead, however, Atlanta has picked him up on a low-risk deal.
 
Did they really say Freiman and Lavarnway are hitters?

Braves – Atlanta re-signed A.J. Pierzynski and signed Tyler Flowers, giving them a pair of veteran backstops to compensate for the departure of former top prospect Christian Bethancourt, who they shipped to San Diego. They also made a couple small signings of veterans Gordon Beckham and Emilio Bonifacio to shore up a shaky infield and bench, and they added a couple hitters via minor league free agency, Nate Freiman and Ryan Lavarnway (actually a re-signing), who could provide a bit of upside. Replacing Andrelton Simmons with Erick Aybar obviously will hurt defensively, but might not make much difference on offense. The Braves’ key move to help their hitting, though, was their trade of Shelby Miller to Arizona for a package that included Ender Inciarte (an already-good outfielder who will likely replace the departed Cameron Maybin if he doesn’t head elsewhere in another trade) and 2015 No. 1 pick Dansby Swanson. If Swanson develops, he could have a profound effect on the Braves’ future offensively.
 
Get ready to yawn, wigwam wisps:

The Braves have agreed to terms with righty Rob Wooten, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The 30-year-old appeared in the Brewers bullpen in the 2013 through 2015 seasons, posting a combined 5.03 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 and throwing in the high 80s. He spent most of 2015, in a tough pitching environment at Triple-A Colorado Springs, with a 4.67 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 52 innings.
 
NL East

Braves(service time in parentheses, projected salary after arbitration by MLBTR Matt Swartz):

Arodys Vizcaino (2.168) — $1.1MM
Chris Withrow (2.132) — $600K
Projected total spend: $1.7MM
 
Both players above were resigned.

On this cold weekend up and down the east coast, shall we warm up with the hot stove?
Here is one right down the Bravos' chimney:
11:26am: Lincecum’s physical therapist says he’s set to begin throwing off a mound in the next week, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. “He’s throwing every day and says he’s doing great,” says his agent, Rick Thurman of Beverly Hills Sports Council. “He’s got no instability in his hip, and he’s enthusiastic about his progress.”

8:59am: Free agent starter Tim Lincecum hopes to hold a showcase in the first half of February, Jon Heyman tweets. Lincecum had surgery on to treat a degenerative hip condition in September, and it had previously been reported that Lincecum was planning to hold a showcase in January. The new February date would, then, suggest a delay, although the reasons for that delay are unknown. The Marlins are among the teams that have reportedly had interest in Lincecum.

Before being shut down midway through the season, Lincecum had posted a 4.13 ERA, although with a 7.1 K/9 and a high 4.5 BB/9 that were even less impressive than that modest ERA figure. His average fastball velocity also fell from 89.6 MPH in 2014 to 87.2 MPH, probably an untenable number for a righty. It remains to be seen whether Lincecum’s surgery will fix the issues that ailed him last season, but in any case, he’ll probably have to settle for a one-year deal from a team hoping he can recapture some percentage of his past glory as he enters his age-32 season. It has, however, been five years since Lincecum was a top starter, as he’s provided value consistent with that of a back-of-the-rotation starter since 2012.
 
Some Wigwam Whisps:
Freddie Freeman is finally pain free, he told reporters including Cooper. The lefty first baseman has dealt with a slow to heal right wrist injury. He managed a career worst 481 plate appearances last season, although he still hit reasonably well – .276/.370/.471 with 18 home runs. While many thought the Braves would trade Freeman, he’s still just 26. If the club turns around as quickly as they aim to, he’ll still be in his prime.
Another injured Brave, Jace Peterson, is also once again pain free, reports David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Peterson injured his thumb in late May and played through the injury for the remainder of the season. His .265/.340/.318 line wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire when he sustained the injury. However, it was slightly better than the .230/.305/.341 slash he put up over the rest of the season. Peterson has an interesting blend of skills. He could eventually develop into a sneaky-good utility player. He’s currently atop the depth chart at second base.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez hinted that we’ll see top prospect Dansby Swanson sooner rather than later, per a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Braves shortstop Erick Aybar is under contract through the end of this season. In my view, the club may be hoping Swanson can advanced quickly enough to join the team in early 2017 – if not sooner. After signing with the Diamondbacks last summer, Swanson had 99 plate appearances in Low-A, hitting .289/.394/.482. The soon-to-be 22-year-old has all the makings of a fast moving prospect. He was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Shelby Miller to Arizona.
 
I say bring Swanson up now. We are going to suck anyway. Might as well suck and have him take his lumps and get through the learning curve at the high level. But, that's just me. I think these baseball people overthink things far too often.
 
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Braves To Hold Private Workout With Lazarito
By Jeff Todd | February 2, 2016 at 2:34pm CST

The Braves are among the teams expected to make a strong push for young Cuban prospect Lazaro Armenteros — better known as Lazarito — according to a report from MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. He’ll be eligible to sign on February 10 after being declared a free agent by the league, and Atlanta will see him at a private workout on Saturday.

At just 16 years of age, Lazarito is subject to international signing restrictions. Though he is a raw talent, Sanchez says he’s expected to command a bonus in the range of $15MM to $20MM, if not more.

Clearly, anything close to that would push Atlanta (or any other team) well over its bonus allotment if the signing were to be completed in this July 2 period. Such a move would trigger a two-year ban on $300K+ international signings and a 100% tax on overages.

With the Braves reportedly lining up a massive spend on the signing season set to begin this summer — much-hyped Venezuelan Kevin Maitan is rumored to be the crown jewel — the club would have to do some maneuvering to get things done. Signing Lazarito now would mean punting on the opportunity to add multiple players in the July 2 session to come, though of course it could pursue other additions in this year’s period as numerous Cuban prospects filter into the free agent pool. Alternatively, Atlanta could attempt to convince the prospect and his representatives to hold off on officially striking a deal until the summer, thus rolling the signing into its future international class.

There are other teams involved, Sanchez suggests, though it isn’t clear who else is in pursuit. As he notes, the Dodgers, Giants, Cubs, and Royals stand to begin their own restricted stretches in a few months’ time. Having already triggered the maximum penalties, they could all strike without issue (beyond coughing up the bonus and tax). Only the Angels, Diamondbacks, Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees are frozen out of the market, by virtue of prior budget-busting outlays. The rest of the league would find itself in the same situation as Atlanta — able to spend, if they are willing to sit out the next two signing periods.
 
Braves Notes: Diaz, Rebuild, Draft, Olivera, Minor
By Steve Adams | February 2, 2016 at 8:30pm CST

Earlier today it was reported that the Braves are expected to make a push for much-ballyhooed Cuban prospect Lazaro Armenteros (aka “Lazarito“), though it’s worth noting that they’d need to convince Armenteros to wait to sign until after July 2 (otherwise, their previously reported plan of shattering their international signing pool in the 2016-17 period would go out the window due to penalties from Armenteros’ bonus). As Braves fans ponder the chances of seeing their favorite club land Lazarito, here are few more items pertaining to Atlanta…

The Braves “worked hard” to try to find a way to acquire infield prospect Isan Diaz from the Diamondbacks prior to his inclusion in the trade that allowed the D-backs to shed much of Aaron Hill’s salary, tweets MLB Network’s Peter Gammons. Per Gammons, the Braves appeared to have a similar idea to the Brewers (who acquired Diaz, Chase Anderson and much of Aaron Hill’s contract in exchange for Jean Segura and Tyler Wagner). Gammons notes that the Braves were trying to “alleviate [the] D-backs’ cash issues,” but a deal was never reached.
Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke to GM John Coppolella about the team’s rebuild and the differences between the trades he and president of baseball ops John Hart have made this winter and the ones the pair made last offseason. “In a lot of the trades we made in the 2014-2015 offseason, the players were a lot further away,” said Coppolella in reference to trades that netted the likes of Mallex Smith, Max Fried, Tyrell Jenkins, Rio Ruiz and others (although names like Shelby Miller and Mike Foltynewicz did represent MLB-ready options acquired last winter). “With [with the Miller and Andrelton Simmons trades], you really got six players you could see (in Atlanta) in 2016. A lot of the deals we made last year … were more to restart the system than have major-league impact in the short term.” Atlanta landed Major Leaguers Ender Inciarte and Erick Aybar in those trades as well as near-ready prospects Sean Newcomb, Chris Ellis, Aaron Blair and Dansby Swanson.
Coppolella and scouting director Brian Bridges met with draft hopefuls A.J. Puk (LHP) and Buddy Reed (OF) recently, reports Scout.com’s Bill Shanks. Either Florida Gators star could be a candidate for the Braves’ top pick, per Shanks, though as he notes, Coppolella recently stated that the team’s preference would be to draft a hitter.
In his latest Braves Inbox column, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes that while the jury is out on the Hector Olivera trade, it’s fair to wonder whether Olivera’s stock can recover from the hit it took with shaky performances in the Majors and in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Bowman also fields a question on left-hander Mike Minor, replying by saying that Minor’s “days of pitching for Atlanta appear to be over, at least for now.” Minor is still recovering from his shoulder surgery, Bowman writes, adding that it sounds like Minor could sign with a new club within the next month.
 
Happy Birthday today to Hank Aaron, who turns 82. Hank and Pistol Pete were my 2 childhood heroes. Both wore #44.

Every kid growing up in Southern Malaysia wanted to get the #44 on their little league jersey.

Hank Aaron = a very classy gentleman; a guy who did it the right way; under-appreciated for his all-around play at times (read: known for home runs, but was great in all facets of the game)

It sickens me that the cheater known as Barry Bonds somehow claims the all-time HR record, though. Disgusting!
 
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On the day Babe Ruth would have been 121 years old, I point to this nugget for the Braves:


Matt Thornton is drawing interest from around six teams, though the veteran lefty may have to settle for a minor league contract. Thornton turned 39 in September and has a 1.98 ERA over 77 1/3 innings in 2014 and 2015, though with only a 5.9 K/9 in that stretch, ERA predictors such as xFIP (4.19) and SIERA (3.79) are less enthused with his performance over the last two years. The Braves, Pirates and Twins were all rumored to have some interest in Thornton earlier this offseason.

Go ahead Atlanta, sign him up...you know you want to...perfect reclamation project, will have company surrounding him. Also, the international star "Laz" as in Lazarito, now has 9 teams chasing him, including the Braves.
 
Excellent article with Dansby Swanson in the Sunday, Feb. 7, AJC fish wrapper.

There’s a notable showcase event being held today in Santo Domingo that will feature many of the players being targeted by the aforementioned teams, as Sanchez further reports. 59 prospects from seven nations will be there, including top Venezuelan youngster Kevin Maitan (who is favored to sign with the Braves). Other intriguing players are on hand, per Sanchez, including Mexican outfielder Tirso Ornelas, Panamanian righty Edisson Gonzalez, and Dominican outfielder Jeisson Rosario.
 
A downward spiral = reclamation project 101 or in Braves lingo, 2.0
Here is the latest:

Braves To Sign Carlos Torres
By Steve Adams | February 10, 2016 at 6:52pm CST

6:52pm: Torres has agreed to a deal with the Braves, reports Jim Seimas of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, who adds that he chose Atlanta over the Yankees and Dodgers (Twitter link). Bill Shanks of FOX Sports Radio and the Macon Telegram tweets that it’s a minor league deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Torres will give the Braves an option either in their rotation or bullpen, though the latter seems more likely based on his lack of recent rotation experience. The rebuilding Braves have a wide-open bullpen picture, with right-handers Arodys Vizcaino, Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson as the locks to factor into the relief corps. Beyond that trio, the likes of Mike Foltynewicz, Daniel Winkler, Ryan Weber and Shae Simmons (who is recovering from February 2015 Tommy John surgery) all represent right-handed options on the 40-man roster. Non-roster invitees that will be competing with Torres include David Carpenter, Alexi Ogando, Jhoulys Chacin and Chris Volstad, among others.

6:18pm: Free-agent right-hander Carlos Torres has reached an agreement with an unspecified team, reports MLBTR’s Zach Links (via Twitter). Previously, Links had reported that Torres had offers from three clubs and was determining the best fit as he neared a decision.

The 33-year-old Torres has spent the past three seasons with the Mets, pitching to a combined 3.59 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 46 percent ground-ball rate in 241 innings (155 relief appearances, 10 starts). However, his solid production took a step backward in 2015, as he posted a 4.68 ERA in 57 2/3 innings, which led the Mets to designate Torres for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster for Antonio Bastardo, who signed a two-year deal with the reigning National League Champions. Torres ultimately elected free agency after clearing outright waivers.

It’s unclear at this time whether Torres has a Major League or minor league agreement, though Links previously noted that he’d received both. While that may seem like an easy decision, it’s possible that one or two teams were willing to offer a larger base salary on a minor league deal than the base salary on the Major League offer(s) that Torres was said to have received.
 
Torres will give the Braves an option either in their rotation or bullpen, though the latter seems more likely based on his lack of recent rotation experience. The rebuilding Braves have a wide-open bullpen picture, with right-handers Arodys Vizcaino, Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson as the locks to factor into the relief corps. Beyond that trio, the likes of Mike Foltynewicz, Daniel Winkler, Ryan Weber and Shae Simmons (who is recovering from February 2015 Tommy John surgery) all represent right-handed options on the 40-man roster. Non-roster invitees that will be competing with Torres include David Carpenter, Alexi Ogando, Jhoulys Chacin and Chris Volstad, among others.
 
In an interview with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link with an audio clip) Braves president of baseball ops John Hart said his club is “gonna be players” on the international market and they “hope to be very active.” Atlanta is expected to be perhaps the most aggressive team in the 2016-17 international signing period, as the Braves are reportedly prepared to far exceed their bonus pool limit in order to load up on premium young talent. They’ve already been linked to such notable top prospects as Venezuelan infielder Kevin Maitan and Cuban outfielder Lazaro “Lazarito” Armenteros.
Liberty Media, the Braves’ corporate ownership group, has released some documentation about the team’s finances as part of its plan to issue public shares in the Braves, Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes (subscription required). It’s a very interesting behind-the-scenes look at the Braves’ financial picture, including how the team suffered quite significant operating losses over the last two years, though depreciation and amortization played a large part in putting the team in the red.
 
The Cobb county Braves will still be 2 years away from be good , not great but good.
 
Sounds about right. Went 67-95 last year. Don't see where we are improved at all and likely are worse (imagine that).
 
Do the Braves have an agreement in place with Kevin Maitan. Do tampering rules count towards international signings? — Mike B.

The concept of tampering generally is invoked with regard to players that are currently under contract with another organization. Maitan isn’t even yet eligible to sign. Generally, though, this sort of thing happens every season with every team. A huge number of the July 2 signings you’ll see have been in place for months, which is why there’s such a landslide of reports on international prospect signings on the day the signing period opens. You can argue that the system needs fixing, and you won’t get a disagreement here, but that situation is no way unique to the Braves.

Even without Andrelton Simmons, the Braves are building an enviable amount of middle infield depth, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies highlight the prospects already within the system, and O’Brien notes that the Braves may also wind up with infielders Kevin Maitan and Yunior Severino in the next July 2 international signing period. That’s not even counting the current incumbents at short and second, Erick Aybar and Jace Peterson. If Swanson progresses as well as Atlanta hopes, he could make his MLB debut late in the season and Aybar could then become a trade chip.

Atlanta might also have some interest in 3B David Freese.
 
Kris Medlin(arm troubled past), is also with K.C.


Left-hander Mike Minor, who inked a two-year contract with the Royals earlier today, will be unavailable for the first six weeks to two months of the regular season, general manager Dayton Moore told reporters, including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). That Minor will be sidelined for some time to open the season isn’t unexpected, as the former Braves hurler is recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Wouldn't the Braves have been better to keep Dayton Moore(match any legit. offer) in their system somehow until promoting him to G.M. or President?
 
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Excellent updates on the Braves found here(a Cuban signing, not subject to the International Draft; Jeff Francouer; Braves have 10 million to spend during this season; Braves might be the biggest spender going over budget in 2016-17 International Pool; Liberty Media going public with Braves Shares of Stock, think amortized contracts and being in the red, also they have owned them long enough for the tax gain/exemptions):

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/atlanta-braves
 
Per Peter Gammons, O's tried to open talks with Braves on Nick Markakis...Atlanta said "no".

I said, the Braves saying no, has not happened in a few years.

More:
Braves Remain Linked To Lazarito
By Steve Adams | March 1, 2016 at 9:48pm CST

The Padres are now the favorites to sign Cuban prospect Lazaro Armenteros, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler (subscription required but highly recommended), though he notes that the Braves and Dodgers both have some interest. However, Badler notes that the player known as “Lazarito” has been “the subject of some of the most extreme sensationalism in public reports,” and ranks the 16-year-old 11th on his list of the top 15 Cuban players available to Major League clubs. Lazarito would add to what appears to be a potentially significant class of 2016-17 international prospects for San Diego, as Badler and ESPN’s Eric Longenhagen have both previously reported the Friars as the favorites to sign 19-year-old outfielder Jorge Ona (fourth on today’s rankings from Badler) and 17-year-old lefty Adrian Morejon (10th). It’s worth noting, too, that Badler isn’t downplaying Lazarito’s talent entirely; he does write that Lazarito’s talent is “right up there” with the other top international prospects that have signed in the 2015-16 international class, so the implication is merely that the “phenom” labels that have been placed on Lazarito are an overstatement.
 
Braves general manager John Coppolella tells MLB.com’s Mark Bowman that he’s not ruling out Major League debuts for top outfield prospect Mallex Smith or shortstops Dansby Swanson and Ozhaino Albies in 2016. “They have all been very impressive, and I don’t think they could have shown any better than they have,” said Coppolella of the trio’s first week of Grapefruit League action. Coppolella went on to say that service time implications (i.e. delaying a player’s free agency) won’t be a factor for him if a player deems that he is ready for MLB action in 2016. “You can always sign young guys to long-term deals,” said the GM. “Sometimes, when you bring up prospects early, they’re more willing to sign long-term because they know you didn’t hold them hostage or try to manipulate them in any way".
 
The Braves have released veteran right-handers Kyle Kendrick and Chris Volstad, per a team announcement. Both were in camp on minor league deals.

Kendrick was widely expected to compete for a rotation spot after inking a minors pact that would have paid him $2MM on the MLB roster. He also could have boosted the deal’s total value to $6MM through incentives. Of course, that earning capacity also probably also raised the bar for Atlanta to keep him around, though the timing of this move remains a bit surprising with several weeks left to go.

While it’s still too early to read much into spring stats — if that’s ever worth doing in a vacuum — Kendrick’s have been pretty ugly. Over 3 2/3 frames in two appearances, he has given up 14 hits, 3 walks, and nine earned runs while striking out only one opposing hitter.

Volstad’s early work has been similarly unimpressive, as he’s surrendered eight earned on eight hits and three walks while recording a single K in his 2 2/3 frames of action. He had impressive numbers at Triple-A last year with the Pirates, but will have to go looking for another opportunity this spring.

Another development: Freddie Freeman was pulled from a recent game with the same right wrist injury that hampered him last season.
 
major-league-theyre-shitty_medium.jpg
 
Jhoulys Chacin has pitched well for the Braves in his Spring Training outings and, perhaps most importantly for the righty, his troublesome shoulder is feeling good. “When I signed, my mindset was just to come to Spring Training as strong as I could be and to just pitch the only way I know how to pitch….I just want to go through all of this year and the rest of my career with my shoulder strong,” Chacin tells MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. It would be a nice bargain for Atlanta if Chacin returned to the form he showed when he was a healthy and productive member of the Rockies staff, as Chacin is only signed to a minor league deal.
 
Former Brave Adam LaRoche is leaving 13 mill. on the table, retiring reportedly because his son was not permitted to go to work with him during Spring Training with the White Sox.
 
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Yes, the Bravos claimed a player off waivers that will be out for the entire 2016 season before it starts(which might make sense for an organization void of numbers in prospects, however that happens to already be Atlanta's strength or majority as to what they have acquired which is in future talent):

The Braves have claimed lefty Jesse Biddle, MLB.com’s Adam Berry tweets. The Pirates had designated Biddle for assignment last week. It was originally reported that the Pirates had released Biddle with the intention of re-signing him to a minor-league deal, but perhaps they had simply placed him on release waivers, which would have allowed the Braves to claim him.

Biddle will miss the 2016 season after having Tommy John surgery. The Pirates acquired him from Philadelphia earlier this offseason. He struggled the last two seasons in the high minors, but was once one of the Phillies’ top prospects. MLB.com ranked him the No. 53 prospect in baseball after the 2013 season, when he posted a 3.64 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 138 1/3 innings as a 21-year-old at Double-A Reading.
 
Frank LaCorte says hello(hopefully, these two, will find the plate enough before they are through):

A couple Braves trade acquisitions are turning heads, writes J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Touki Toussaint joined Atlanta as compensation for taking on Bronson Arroyo’s salary. While his stuff continues to impress, command and control issues plague him. He’s described as possessing a quality fastball, curve, and change. Meanwhile, Sean Newcomb has shown better strikeout stuff throughout his minor league career. Acquired in the Andrelton Simmons trade, Newcomb also has a history of shaky command.
 
The Braves were seriously interested in signing Justin Upton for a return engagement this past winter, Jon Heyman reports (Twitter links). The Braves were willing to sign Upton for six years, although they knew they couldn’t match the Tigers’ $22.125MM-a-year offer and never made a formal offer themselves. They were, however, believed to be willing to offer Upton a nine-figure contract. On the surface, the Braves signing Upton would not have made much sense, but they did have a protected draft pick, and Upton would have been a marketable player for them during their rebuilding phase, as well as being young enough (28) to still be productive once the team was ready to contend.
 
The Brewers were talking with the Astros and Braves about a three-team trade involving Jonathan Lucroy last month, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports. Houston made an attempt at Lucroy earlier in the offseason, as previously reported by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, and the club has also been linked to Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte. This isn’t to say that Inciarte was also necessarily part of this three-team proposal, of course, as Atlanta’s role in the trade could’ve taken any number of forms.
 
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