The biggest moves of the offseason are largely over and done with (probably) and the Atlanta Braves have been weirdly quiet. Corbin Burnes signing with Arizona may open doors for the Braves, but the recent wave of transactions have been pretty light when it comes to Atlanta's roster.
However, that doesn't mean that all has been quiet on the Braves front.
Braves sign reliever Brian Moran to minor league contract
The Braves brought back left-handed reliever Brian Moran on a minor league contract earlier in December. After being signed, the Braves assigned him to the Gwinnett Stripers.
This will be Moran's third stint with Atlanta's minor league organization as he's never appeared in an MLB game with the Braves. He looked pretty good at Triple-A with the Stripers in 2023 with a
3.21 ERA, 28.3% K-rate, and 9.8% walk rate over 47.2 innings.
2024 was a struggle for Moran as he carried an unimpressive 5.91 ERA over 45.2 innings as his strikeout numbers dropped. However, he improved his walk rate by lowering it by two percentage points. Moran will always be remembered for his MLB debut with the Marlins where he struck out his brother, Colin Moran.
After 10 seasons in MiLB, Brian Moran finally made his @MLB debut.
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 6, 2019
His first strikeout? His brother Colin.
Baseball is the best. pic.twitter.com/WNpKXKo9jF
The Braves lack a high-leverage lefty in the bullpen at the moment and Moran wouldn't fill that role unless he shocks everyone with an incredible Spring. He does provide Atlanta with great veteran depth. Atlanta's front office has been stockpiling pitching depth this offseason. They learned too quickly last season just how important depth is.
Former hard-throwing Atlanta Braves reliever Juan Jaime passed away
According to MLB insider Héctor Gómez, former Atlanta Braves pitcher Juan Jaime passed away after he suffered a heart attack. Jaime was 37 years old and a native of the Dominican Republic. The right-hander was drafted by the Braves in the 2010 amateur draft.
Jaime featured a high-velocity fastball that touched triple digits. He appeared as a reliever in 16 games in 2014 and two games in 2015. Over those 18 games, he had a 5.93 ERA, a 4.38 FIP, with 13 walks, and 19 strikeouts. Despite such a short MLB career, Jaime will be remembered for his talent and love for the game of baseball.
Former Braves prospect Patrick Weigel lands with Washington Nationals
The Nationals have signed former Braves prospect Patrick Weigel to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
Weigel was selected by Atlanta in the seventh round of the 2015 MLB draft. Atlanta had hoped Weigel would become a staple in their future rotations. Unfortunately, after his MLB debut during the 2020 season, it was clear that he wasn't ready yet.
He was traded to the Brewers at the start of the 2021 season alongside reliever Chad Sabotka for current Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia. Weigel was up and down for Milwaukee in their bullpen but only featured in four innings. He has a career 7.71 MLB ERA over 4.2 innings.
He's not returned to the big leagues since 2021 and has had stints with the Mariners and Reds organizations as well as the American Association's Kansas City Monarchs and Mexican League's
Saraperos de Saltillo. He will get another shot to reach the big leagues with the Nationals. He is currently assigned to the team's Double-A affiliate.