Braves reunite with former Rule 5 reliever as search for bullpen depth continues

Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies | Mark Taylor/GettyImages

One of the quirks unique to baseball is the presence of the Rule 5 Draft. The Rule 5 is in place to keep organizations from hoarding prospects without needing to give them an opportunity in the big leagues by making minor leaguers who reach certain service time thresholds eligible to be picked by other teams. The Atlanta Braves have made good use of the Rule 5 Draft in the past, but one of their recent picks that seemingly didn't work out was Anderson Pilar.

Pilar was considered one of the better relievers available in last offseason's Rule 5 Draft and Atlanta was able to snatch him up. Unfortunately, Pilar struggled mightily during spring training and rather than be forced to carry him on their big league roster as per Rule 5 pick rules, the Braves instead just opted to return Pilar to the Marlins and that seemed like the end of the story.

However, Miami released Pilar recently and the Braves decided to sign him to a minor league deal that doesn't come with the same roster restrictions.

Braves sign former Rule 5 pick Anderson Pilar to a minor league deal

The odds are pretty good that Pilar's signing won't move the needle much this year unless someone gets hurt. While the Braves have been hesitant to bring up their top relief prospects to bolster the bullpen in the second half, Pilar not being on the 40-man roster probably puts him down on the depth chart of relievers Atlanta will inevitably shuttle back-and-forth from Gwinnett.

Still, there is still something to like about Pilar as he has struck out better than a batter an inning in Triple-A with the Marlins and he typically hasn't walked many batters this year. His 4.26 ERA in the minors isn't ideal, but his 3.11 FIP suggests he has gotten a bit unlucky and/or got let down by his defense behind him.

While this season is effectively over when it comes to the playoff chase, the Braves are still trying to improve with moves like these. One hopes that all of this maneuvering will pay off heading into the offseason.

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