While the Atlanta Braves' trade deadline is most notable for what moves they didn't make, they didn't stand completely pat. The best news was that Atlanta managed to offload Rafael Montero to the Tigers which meant that fans wouldn't have to suffer through his appearances anymore. However, they also did add some bullpen help in Tyler Kinley that, at the time, flew far under the radar.
It didn't take long for Kinley to impress and remind Braves fans of the Pierce Johnson trade a couple years ago. In fact, Kinley has performed so well since coming over from the Rockies that he is making a really strong case for an increased role in Atlanta's bullpen going forward.
Braves' bullpen outlook is looking significantly better after Tyler Kinley's emergence
The Braves have a bit of a history of converting former Rockies relievers into quality relievers. Johnson is an obvious example, but it was just a few years ago that Tyler Matzek was a critical cog in the Braves' run to a World Series title and he started his career (albeit over a decade ago) in Colorado. Based on his current trends, we are probably going to have to add Kinley's name to the list.
In the 13 appearances Kinley has made since being traded to Atlanta, he boasts a sterling 0.71 ERA and 2.50 FIP with 13 strikeouts and five walks in 12.2 innings of work. Thanks to a diversity of pitches that isn't seen too often with relievers anymore, Kinley has proven to be damn near impossible to make hard contact against with his breaking stuff being particular effective.
With Raisel Iglesias seemingly heading for free agency (although that may not be a sure thing), Atlanta is going to need a reliever or three to step up and be able to handle high leverage innings going forward. Joe Jimenez (when he is healthy) and Johnson are going to be candidates, but don't sleep on Kinley being in the mix as well.