WASHINGTON – Just over an hour before their two best relievers lengthened their recent woes in Tuesday night's 11-8 victory over the Nationals, the Braves strengthened their bullet by acquiring Chris Martin of the Rangers in exchange for Colby Allard.
"I don't know [Martin]", Braves manager Brian Snicker
WASHINGTON – Just over an hour before their two biggest relievers extended their last woes at Tuesday's 11-8 win over the Nationals, the Braves strengthened their Bulps by gaining
"I don't know [Martin]," says Braves manager Brian Snitker. "I saw the numbers. I received a few texts after the game about him. Everything was really positive. People really like this person.
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Snitker does not expect Martin to arrive in time to be available for the series finale on Wednesday afternoon at Nationals Park. But he looks forward to the value of the late inning he is about to receive from the 33-year-old right-hander, one of baseball's most effective reliefs in the last two months.
Martin posted a 3.08 EPA over 38 appearances this year. The Liberator produced a 1
Although Martin has less than two years of service, his contract allows him to become a free agent when his two-year deal expires at the end of the season. His lease status allowed the Braves to acquire potential short-term value at a low Allard price, whose prospect value dropped dramatically after Atlanta made it with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft
. [Martin]"says Braves general manager Alex Antopoulos." We have obviously been active in the aid market. There are obviously many other names out there. Chris may not be as famous as others with longer experience and careers, but we thought that he is so much higher than anyone in the commercial market. ”
Speed Martin's walk of 2.7 percent (third-best in MLB in relief) would have made him a welcome fixture in any event. The Braves will surely appreciate the performance he could bring. with the second worst passing game rate (11.0 percent).
"He is the kind of person we think can really show up for us in the back of the bullpen," Antopoulos said. "Snit Will Make Role Decisions."
Martin made four saves for the Rangers this year, and he served as a closer while playing in Japan from 2015-17. He stands as a candidate to replace Luke Jackson as a relative of Atlanta But Antopoulos can find an additional candidate as he tries to suddenly increase his difficulties before Wednesday at 4:00 PM. ET Trading Deadline.
Welcome to Braves Country, Chris! Martin has done an amazing job all year, "said Texas manager Chris Woodward. "Going into spring training, we were hoping he would do what he did and take a much bigger role at the back of the bulb. I can't say enough about what he did for us. He threw big passes for us a lot.
After top setting man
Anthony Surzak surrendered in two cycles while recording only two outs in the eighth inning of victory on Tuesday, Jackson allowed the Nats to level three more runs in the ninth."Every opportunity we think is a good baseball trade and it makes sense for us, we will strive to do it," Antopoulos said. " I know it sounds pretty general, but it's really accurate. "
While the Braves could use another front starter, their worries about rotation were at least reduced. of the recent success of
Julio Tehran posted a 1.48 ERA in the July 5 launch.Adam Duvall's depreciation in winning Tuesday may reduce Atlanta's likelihood of trying to acquire an outfielder before 4pm on Wednesday. ET Term.Even with the addition of Martin, there are still concerns about bullets. Jackson produced a 4.88 ERA and allowed one run in 12 of his last 26 appearances. Swarzak allowed one run in his first 21 appearances with the Braves, but he gave at least two runs in both subsequent appearances.
The Braves have a wealth of promising resources that would be needed to get the top closer to the Pirates & # 39;
Felipe Vasquez or the PadresKirby Yates . But Atlanta can simply focus on gaining quality depth in the form of someone like Martin, who can provide value in a variety of roles to slow down short positions. Snitker said. "When you make that move, I don't put any stock in whether we are first or last [to make a move] I'm just glad we did."Mark Bowman has been covering Braves for MLB.com since 2001