The Braves made another small move today, bringing back veteran infielder Adeiny Hechavarria on a one-year contract worth $1 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Infielder Adeiny Hechavarria and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a one-year, $1 million contract, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. Good utility option who played second, short and third while with the Braves last season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 16, 2020
The Braves were attracted to Hechavarria last season for his defense. He has an elite glove that can play any position on the infield besides first base. And when Dansby Swanson went down with a heel injury last year, it became apparent neither Johan Camargo or Charlie Culberson could play shortstop well enough. Given Swanson’s injury issues over the past couple of seasons, it’s wise to keep Hechavarria on the roster as insurance, especially since he showed he’s not exactly a slouch with the bat either.
In 24 games with Atlanta (70 plate appearances), Hech had a 1.039 OPS with four homers, a triple, and five doubles. Now, whether that kind of offensive production is sustainable is a totally different question. There’s a reason that he has played for five different teams since 2018, and his career OPS is .642 with a .352 slugging percentage. Perhaps he discovered something with the Braves, but if not, he’s still a cheap option that can always play a role defensively.
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