On the same day Atlanta sends a reliever to the West Coast, a deal is struck to keep another
Fans of the Atlanta Braves should probably start waking from their post-season slumber: the Winter Meetings are 10 days away and Alex Anthopoulos has turned on the stove.
After executing his first ‘real’ trade deal earlier today, AA has followed that up by checking off a box on his Arbitration “to do” list:
#Braves Agree to Terms with Rex Brothers: pic.twitter.com/pPzSlflOFX
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 1, 2017
There are a couple of ‘moving parts’ involved here.
Not Quite Back Yet
It was last February when the Murfreesboro, TN native (so is Boston’s David Price) Rex Brothers was first signed by the Braves – that after the Cubs dropped him in 2016 as control problems plagued him.
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That didn’t change much for Atlanta in 2017, though he at least made it through the year for 27 appearances and nearly 24 innings. But he also had his moments, as these numbers suggest:
- 7.23 ERA
- 4.6 walks/9 innings
- 1.479 WHIP
However, the nearly-29-year-old did manage to raise his strikeout rate significantly (to 12.5/8 innings), and limited his wild pitches to 2.
But it is being reported (and noted in the press release above) that the Braves had a contract option for 2018. That option was declined, but it didn’t mean that Atlanta lost control of him, as the arbitration process kicked in. However, it’s a minor league deal – at least to start with.
He’s 2nd-year arb-eligible for 2018, but while the Braves signed the southpaw to a $1.1 million deal, it’s a “split” contract – meaning that he will start in the minors and have to work his way back up in order to earn the pro-rated portion of that $1.1 million.
If Brothers “gets it” – meaning better command of his pitches – his stuff is sufficient. Both his fastball and slider get strong swing-and-miss scores from brooksbaseball. That said, his walk numbers are trending in the right direction.
Brothers stays on the 40-man roster, at least, and it should be noted that this is essentially a no-risk move from the Braves and they begin the process of rebuilding their bullpen for next season.