Catching Up On Braves Offseason Minor League Additions
On Monday, I revisited the current list of minor leaguers whom the Braves have released since the end of the 2020 season, including two last week. The list is made up of lower-level players, none of whom were on my list as prospects, and many you may not have even known.
Today, I look at the current list of players signed to minor league or non-guaranteed contracts or claimed off waivers by the Braves. This list will feature names you do know, because these players have either had time in the majors or at least carved out Triple-A careers for the most part.
The additions began Oct. 30 when the Braves signed Abraham Almonte. The 31-year-old has played parts of eight seasons as a role player in the majors, earning his most playing time in 2015 between Cleveland and San Diego. His time in the majors has diminished the past two years as he’s been moved off center field more, but he can still play it in a pinch and is a positive in the corners. He’s a switch-hitter with better career numbers from the left side. He mashed at Triple-A in 2019, which isn’t a surprise for a 30-year-old with major league experience in the Pacific Coast League.
Almonte signed a non-guaranteed major league contract, which is essentially a tryout for the major league team. He will make $990K if he makes the team out of spring training. Therefore, a decision will have to be made whether to carry him on the major league roster toward the end of spring.
The Braves signed Emmanuel Ramirez to a minor league contract on Nov. 16. The next day, he was assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Ramirez signed as an international free agent in 2012 and has only pitched for the Padres org. The 26-year-old right-hander was invited to major league camp the past two years but has never appeared in the majors, logging more than 150 innings at Double-A and Triple-A. He performed well in a limited 2018 sample, but his numbers plummeted in 2019. He will likely be upper-level depth for the Braves.
The Braves claimed infielder Jack Mayfield off waivers from the Astros on Nov. 20. Mayfield is a legitimate bench infield option for the Braves. He’s a self-made major leaguer, signing as a non-drafted free agent and performing his way up the ladder. He has raked in the upper levels and earned some starts and defensive sub appearances as a role player for Houston the past two years between shortstop, second and third. He’s 30 and hasn’t hit in the majors, but the ability to play up the middle and offer a little pop are draws. He could play his way onto the big league bench with a good spring or end up at Gwinnett.
The Braves brought back Kevin Josephina on a minor league deal Nov. 30 and assigned him to the Double-A Mississippi roster. Josephina was a July 2 signing by the Braves in 2013 and his minor league clock ran dry, so he re-upped with Atlanta. Somehow he’s still only 24. He’s a lean switch-hitter who has grown into a doubles machine and played the corner infield for Class-A Advanced Florida in 2019. He will continue to be system depth as an infielder.
Similar to the Josephina deal, the Braves signed Jason Creasy and Sean Kazmar Jr. to minor league contracts in early December. Creasy is a 28-year-old right-hander who was plucked by Atlanta in the 2018 Rule 5 draft minor league portion and has been upper-level relief depth the past two seasons. He got spring invites both years and could get another this spring. If you know anything about Gwinnett baseball, you know Kazmar, who has been a fixture with that team since 2013. He has truly carved out a career as a Gwinnett infielder.
The Braves added three to the org during December’s Rule 5 draft minor league portion: A.J. Puckett, Jalen Miller and Jacob Pearson.
Puckett has been through a lot between emergency brain surgery in high school and elbow issues that effectively ended his prospect status after getting drafted in the second round in 2016. He didn’t pitch at all in 2018 because of elbow pain, rehab didn’t help, and he underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2019. He hasn’t pitched since 2017. Puckett was low-to-mid-90s with a downward-breaking curve and changeup before the elbow problems. The Braves are checking to see what’s in the tank now that he’s had surgery.
I watched a full season of Miller in 2016 and wasn’t sure he would hit enough to make it. The bat isn’t explosive and there’s swing-and-miss. The pop has come along nicely and it looks like he’s gained strength to add more to his run game, but he’s already 24 and hasn’t hit. The infielder will be upper-level depth with a little power/speed intrigue.
Pearson was a third-rounder and is only 22, offering a little athleticism in the outfield. But he hasn’t hit as a pro and is tracking as system depth.
On Dec. 26, the Braves signed outfielder Jaycob Brugman to a minor league contract. The lefty-hitting 29-year-old has performed well over multiple seasons at Triple-A and will likely do the same at Gwinnett in 2021. He actually saw 48 games for Oakland in 2017 and hit decently while playing center, but that has been his only major league shot. We will see him in big league camp this spring.
The start of the new international signing period in January meant the Braves could finally land a notable international prospect again. Despite having less than half of their bonus pool, they had enough to sign Ambioris Tavarez, who has a projectable bat and excellent frame. I wrote initial observations of Tavarez here. The Braves also signed infielder Gabriel Liendo, but I have nothing on him so far.
The Braves added two notable waiver claims Jan. 22 in Victor Arano and Kyle Garlick from the Phillies. There’s a little intrigue to both – as much intrigue as one can find in a waiver claim anyway – and I wrote about it here.
The most familiar minor league addition came Jan. 23 in Pablo Sandoval. He will earn $1 million if he makes the active roster. Sandoval became a Brave last September for depth purposes, and he’s back to do the same. Whether he sticks around after spring training – in the majors or even in the org – will be a question, but there’s not much left in the tank for the major league level.
Probably the most notable addition for the big league club to this point came Jan. 26 when Atlanta signed Ehire Adrianza to a minor league contract with a spring invite. He will earn $1.5 million if he makes the roster out of spring training. Adrianza is a 31-year-old infielder with pretty balanced numbers from both sides of the plate. He offered solid value in a utility role for the Twins the past few seasons before plummeting at the plate in 2020. He has also been slowly pushed off shortstop as he inches past 30 years old, which takes away utility value. The Braves are hoping for a bounce-back at the plate so that he can provide bench competition for guys like Johan Camargo and Jack Mayfield.
The most recent addition became official Tuesday when the Braves announced the signing of Carl Edwards Jr. to a minor league pact. This one has perhaps the most potential to be a high-reward signing. Edwards hasn’t fully bounced back from two full seasons of reliever workload in Chicago between 2017-18 when he was a dominant arm with a good fastball and big curve. He has only totaled 21 innings the past two seasons between Chicago, San Diego and Seattle, and he battled a forearm strain last year. This is the definition of a low-risk, high-reward move. If Edwards can stay healthy for even a portion of the season, he has proven he can be a solid major league reliever.