Deadline Decisions Loom for the Braves
Jun 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski (15) slides safely home against the New York Mets in the sixth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
AJP has shown there is still life in that bat, and he has the veteran presents(!) , leadership, and intangibles yada yada that will allow some team to want him, it’s just very hard to predict who at the moment.
Potential Landing Spots: Los Angeles (AL), Minnesota, Tampa Bay
When you look at the bottom 10 in catching WAR in baseball, only the Angels and Twins are currently within striking distance of a playoff spot. The Rays and Rangers both are in the thick of it, but are arguably weaker teams than the other two and are in tougher divisions than the Twins, who are capitalizing on the sputtering Detroit Tigers. And as much as I like the Twins for all that they’ve done, they don’t exactly have the biggest incentive to make a pickup so small.
Theoretically, a 38 year old catcher on a one year deal having a solid, yet unspectacular year at the plate isn’t going to net you much. Likely to be used as more of a supplemental piece that could split time with Chris Iannetta, who is struggling with a .169/.273/.254 line against righties this season. I can see the Braves picking up a solid, buy low reliever from the Angels in this one… perhaps even former Braves first rounder Cory Rasmus.
Rasmus was sidelined in spring with a core muscle injury that required surgery, and the initial recovery time was 6-8 weeks. It’s been over 3 months since then, and Rasmus has thrown just 8 innings AAA so far, although with a very encouraging 13/1 K/BB rate. He stepped up big for the Angels down the stretch last year filling in for an injured Garrett Richards for a few starts, but he’s already 27 and the Angels bullpen isn’t exactly suffering without him.
Next: Could Kelly Join Him?