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The Morning Chop: 3 Atlanta Braves Trades – or Non-trades – We Missed Out On

By Alan Carpenter

Jul 5, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski speaks on the phone prior to a game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 5, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski speaks on the phone prior to a game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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3 Opportunities Lost

1. JASON GRILLI

The grilled cheese man struggled in his time with Atlanta this year:  recovery from his Achilles injury of 2015 just seemed to knock him out of rhythm for way too long.

True:  he ended up with a 5.29 ERA with the Braves, but there were an awful lot of 5- and 6-batter innings… if he finished the inning, that is.

When the end of May was coming around, Grilli had just 2 saves.  Granted, the team wasn’t exactly providing many opportunities, but at the same time, Arodys Vizcaino was getting many of those opportunities – not Grilli.

As a result, Jason’s trade value was dropping and when Coppy got a call on him, he went ahead and gave Grilli a chance to go to a contender.  It was May 31st.

The Braves got Sean Ratcliffe (not to be confused with Daniel Radcliffe).  Don’t bother to check the minor league rosters for his name – you won’t find it.  He was released from Danville on June 23rd.

Meanwhile, of course, Grilli has been on something of a tear.  He’s 3-1 for Toronto with a 1.75 ERA and 2 saves in 25.2 innings… with 37 strikeouts and a 0.82 WHIP.  Everybody talks about Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman, but Toronto’s acquisition of Grilli has to rank as the best of the bunch, particularly given the prices being paid for relievers at the trade deadline.

Atlanta missed here – not based on numbers, but on timing.  Once Grilli crossed the border, a switch turned on and he became Jason Grilli again.

Next: Opportunity Two - A Bad Time to get Hurt

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