The Atlanta Braves are desperately trying to get to the end of the season without anyone else getting seriously hurt. However, with most of their regular rotation on the injured list, manager Brian Snitker has been forced into a position where he wants to employ a six-man rotation for as long as he can, but doesn't have the number of reliable arms required to do so without punting too much. Atlanta latest waiver claim is an attempt to help with just that problem.
Bringing up Hurston Waldrep has certainly been a big help, but Atlanta does need some volume that they aren't getting at the moment. Spencer Strider seems lost as to how to remedy his issues and as long as Bryce Elder is around, the bullpen is at risk of throwing a lot of innings.
For better or worse, the Braves have been very busy combing the waiver wire for answers to any and all of their roster issues. Their latest move was indeed for some rotation depth as they managed to claim Cal Quantrill from the Marlins on Thursday.
Braves claim Cal Quantrill off of waivers, but fans may want to temper their expectations
There was a time when Quantrill was considered one of the top young arms in baseball. After being picked in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Padres, Quantrill put together a nice little three season run from 2020 to 2022 with a combined 3.08 ERA across 90 appearances split between the bullpen and starting.
However, things have gone sideways for Quantrill since then. From the start of the 2023 season, Quantrill's production has dropped off significantly with a 5.21 ERA in his 72 starts. Unfortunately, Quantrill's lack of swing and miss stuff is the culprit for most of his issues, although he does at least pound the strike zone most of the time.
Given that the Marlins cut Quantrill loose, the odds that he is going to contribute much with Atlanta are not particularly great. However, if the Braves can unlock something here, Quantrill does at least have some pedigree to get excited about. If it doesn't work out, he is a free agent at the end of the season anyways and the Braves can move on with little difficulty.