After going on a spending spree of pitchers that includes Collin McHugh and Kenley Jansen, the Atlanta Braves front office could explore their options at adding a low-cost starter to the mix in spring training.
If this is the case, Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos and company may turn to an old friend in Julio Teherán.
The two-time All-Star signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2007 and played within the organization until 2019. In that time, he established himself as a proven clubhouse leader and fan favorite.
With the Atlanta Braves, he made 226 starts and recorded over 1,000 strikeouts, a club that is occupied by just eight other Atlanta Braves.
Teherán also ranks second in all-time strikeouts per nine innings for an Atlanta Brave with 7.84, trailing just John Smoltz who boasts a 7.98 K/9.
Granted, his time after he left Atlanta was… lackluster, to say the least.
After Teherán left Atlanta in free agency, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels on a one-year, $9 million deal. In that year with the Angels, he had easily his worst year in the major leagues.
Julio Teherán in 2020: 10 games, 31.1 innings, 10.05 ERA, 8.62 FIP, 5.74 K/9, 4.60 BB/9
After his stint with the Los Angeles Angels, Teherán signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. After making the 40-man roster, Teherán opted out of his original contract and signed a new one-year deal $3 million contract.
In 2021 with the Tigers, Teherán saw minimal time after being out for the season due to injury after just one start. In his one start, he allowed one run over five innings, while recording three walks and striking out three.
However, he seemed to wow at his showcase he held just this month.
According to Enrique Rojas, a baseball writer for ESPN, Teherán hit up to 94 mph in his showcase at Florida International University.
Colombian RH @Julio_Teheran threw 40 pitches in his exhibition today in Miami. FB 91-94 MPH. He used all of his pitches, including a "split-changeup" he recently added to his repertoire. https://t.co/miszhpNRTt
— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) March 17, 2022
One clear plus for the Braves, if they choose to bring in Teherán, is that he’s familiar with the team, having spent 12 years in the organization.
In 2019, Teherán tied Warren Spahn for the most consecutive Opening Day starts made in Braves franchise history. Teherán also had Brian Snitker as his manager for his last four seasons in Atlanta.
Here’s what Teherán posted in his last year with Atlanta:
Julio Teherán in 2019: 33 games, 174.2 innings, 3.81 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 8.35 K/9, 4.28 BB/9
With Teherán’s free agency status, he will continue to draw eyes and could get a potential minor league, or even major league, league deal within weeks.
The addition of a veteran arm to spring training would be valuable for a young Atlanta Braves pitching staff, especially someone who knows Atlanta like Teherán. If Alex Anthopoulos can bring Julio Teherán back to Atlanta on a minor league deal or even a cheap major league deal, he could give experience to a young spring training staff and may even be able to fight for a roster spot.