The Atlanta Braves made a little bit of news on Saturday morning as they acquired a couple of players through waivers, maxing out their 40-man roster.
While the Atlanta Braves and their fans continue to mourn the passing of Hank Aaron, there was a little bit of baseball news on Saturday.
Atlanta announced that they picked up right-handed pitcher Victor Arano and outfielder Kyle Garlick off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies.
The two waiver claims do take up the final two spots on the 40-man roster — meaning any other moves at the major league level would require someone getting cut — likely one of these two players.
But for the time being, they do add some depth for the bullpen and bench.
Arano is just 25 years old and has 74.2 innings in the big leagues (all with Philadelphia) posting a 2.65 ERA with 80 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.14.
Those are pretty solid numbers, and the Braves may have found another diamond in the rough if he can prove to be healthy, which is currently the problem and why he was placed on waivers in the first place.
He throws a fastball (94 MPH), sinker (94 MPH), and a slider (85 MPH). His slider is his best pitch as he got a Whiff% of 42.5 in 2018.
Garlick is 28 years old and spent time with the Dodgers and the Phillies hitting just .214 in his career in only 70 at-bats.
I’m not expecting much out of Garlick, but the Braves do need some insurance in the outfield right now.
If (when) the Braves do make a big signing or trade, I would expect Garlick to be the first one to get cut loose.
The market does appear to be picking up, so hopefully much more exciting news is on the way for the Braves — especially after the highly depressing week with Don Sutton and Hank Aaron passing away.