The Braves’ brass made some questionable decisions this offseason, and so far, they have cost the team games. Letting Mark Melancon and Darren O’Day walk has left Atlanta’s bullpen with a significant hole from the right side. While they’ve enjoyed successful seasons thus far for their new teams, the Braves have struggled to hold leads late in games. However, Atlanta is hoping that will change with the addition of Shane Greene, who they signed to a one-year, $1.5 million (pro-rated) contract yesterday.
I think all of Braves Country is wondering why it took Alex Anthopoulos so long to re-sign Greene. I have to believe it had to have something to do with Greene’s unwillingness to take such a cheap one-year deal after two highly productive seasons. In 2019, Greene made the All-Star Game and finished the campaign with a 2.30 ERA. Last year, he posted more fantastic numbers on the surface, ending with a 2.60 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. However, his FIP in both 2019 and 2020 sat closer to four, which suggests he benefitted from some luck, which is likely why he didn’t receive the multi-year contract he was looking for.
The Braves also brought back Tyler Flowers, something I had been advocating for them to do since the winter. I’m not the biggest Flowers fan but having a veteran in the building in case Travis d’Arnaud got injured was a must. The Braves decided to neglect it, and they are just lucky Flowers was still available. He will also be making $1.5 million (pro-rated) this year.
Lastly, the Braves brought in former NL East foe Tanner Roark on a minor-league deal. The 34-year-old was once a bright spot for the Nationals in his late 20s, but that was over five years ago. He’s regressed significantly since 2016 and was recently released by the Blue Jays. Still, Roark’s an innings eater with a career 3.85 ERA and a ton of experience in the division. Given the unexpected issues that the Braves have had with their rotation early this season, bringing him in as organizational depth was a wise move, even if he never ends up pitching for Atlanta.
With the way things have played out so far this season, it would have been nice for Alex Anthopoulos to have been a little more proactive during the offseason instead of thinking with a best-case scenario mindset. They are lucky they were able to bring back Greene and Flowers this late, but it still might not be enough to get the Braves back to the level they were performing at in 2020.
You must log in to post a comment.