The Atlanta Braves continued checking off adding depth from their holiday checklist. On the Friday before Christmas, Alex Anthopoulos made yet another move for an Angels starting pitcher, this time sending AA lefty Mitch Farris to LA in exchange for RHP Davis Daniel.
Daniel, a 27-year-old, started six games last season for the Angels. With this trade, the Braves 40-man roster is now full.
The #Braves today acquired RHP Davis Daniel from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for minor-league LHP Mitch Farris.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 20, 2024
Davis Daniel adds more depth for the Braves' starting rotation
Once Spencer Strider returns from his internal brace surgery, the top half of Atlanta's rotation will be very strong, even with the loss of Max Fried to the Yankees. However, the last starting spot is still a bit of a question mark, with Grant Holmes currently looking like the front runner for the spot.
However, as last season showed, injuries can ruin even the best laid plans.
While Davis Daniel's 6.23 ERA in 30.1 innings is not much to get excited about, he did have a much better 4.16 FIP. The righty doesn't wow you with velocity, averaging 91.5 MPH on a fastball that he uses nearly 50% of the time.
The Auburn alumni did well preventing free passes at the major league level, walking 4.5% of batters he faced while striking out 20.9%. His minor league numbers with Salt Lake City look worse, with a 5.42 ERA in AAA across 118 innings, but it is important to note that the Pacific Coast League has an inflated hitting environment.
Mitch Farris going to the Angels organization. The lefty starter was a 14th-round pick in 2023. He predominantly pitched in High-A Rome last season, pitching 82.1 innings with a 2.95 ERA, but also saw time with Low-A Augusta and AA Mississippi. His single game stint at AA was forgettable, allowing 3 runs in three innings.
Last year FanGraphs noted that Farris had decent secondary pitchers, but his fastball velocity might leave him vulnerable as he advances.
While this isn't the big move most fans have waited all offseason for, Alex Anthopoulos is making sure the Braves aren't left in the same position they were in last season when injuries tore apart their team.