The Braves announced on Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Peter Bourjos, who’ll return for a second stint with the big league club this season. To create room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta released right-hander Aaron Blair, who’d previously undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. Meanwhile, Dustin Peterson was optioned to Triple-A to create a spot on the 25-man roster for Bourjos’ return.
Bourjos, 31, was on the Braves’ Opening Day roster after signing a Major League deal late in Spring Training, but he received sparse playing time in Atlanta before being designated for assignment, electing free agency and returning to the organization on a new minor league contract. He enjoyed a productive 24-game run in Triple-A Gwinnett between stints with the big league club, slashing .277/.352/.511 with a pair of homers, six doubles and five triples through 105 plate appearances.
The fleet-footed Bourjos will give the Braves a backup option in center field behind Ender Inciarte — something they presently lack with Ronald Acuna on the 10-day disabled list. Preston Tucker and Charlie Culberson have been handling left field with Inciarte in center and Nick Markakis in right, and it’s not entirely clear how the Braves will adjust that mix once Acuna is able to return. Bourjos could be sent out again, but Culberson is only just now showing signs of life at the plate after a poor start, while Tucker hasn’t hit much at all since a hot first week of the season.
As for Blair, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that the Braves will continue to pay for the right-hander’s rehab from shoulder surgery. It stands to reason that there’s a fair chance he’ll re-sign with the club on a new minor league deal where he can serve as a depth option in 2019 without occupying a spot on the big league 40-man roster.
Diamondbacks should sign Blair
Now I’m laughing even harder at the trade suggestion proposed by a Braves fan yesterday in the comments (Scooter Gennett for Blair and Wisler)
I cannot remember the guy’s handle, but he’s a braves fan that has some of the stupidest ideas on this site. I wonder if it was him
His handle was Backatit. That was one of the dumbest trade proposals I’ve heard
Please don’t judge all of us Braves fans by that guy.
we have some of the dumbest fans out there, doesn’t surprise me any more
[INSERT MY FAVORITE TEAM] should sign Blair.
Brewers can’t be worse than any of the other bums we have at this point I’d rather them just try out guys from the university of Milwaukee Wisconsin than give money to wade Miley and chacin
Both pitchers you mentioned are above replacement level
Blair released? Hallelujah!!
BUT HE’S AN ‘A’ POTENTIAL ON THE SHOW
Oof. Wasn’t Blair a top prospect only a few years ago?
Yeah, from what I remember all 3 of the players the Braves got in the Shelby Miller trade were considered to be way too much for him on their own. It’s a shame, I was excited about this guy.
About time. Now get rid of Sims and Wisler. Probably won’t matter though because the team will probably not touch first place by the end of the week. Overachieving team with no pitching.
All those high end pitching prospects they acquired in trades over the past 4 years or so, and so few of them have panned out.
That’s baseball. That’s why teams stockpile pitching.
I’m not ready to write off Sims or Wisler yet.
Most of the high end pitching prospects have yet to pitch in the majors extensively.
Soroka- 3 career starts, 14.2 IP
Gohara-6 career starts, 40.1 IP
Fried- 5 career starts, 48 IP
Ian Anderson, Touki Toussaint, Kyle Wright, Kolby Allard, Wentz, Muller- all still in the minors
Wisler was never considered a high end prospect, they said at the time of the trade his ceiling was back end rotation starter. Blair is really the only bust but that trade was still a win. The only high end pitching prospects we’ve traded for that have had extensive time in the majors are Folty and Newcomb, and they’re both having great years.
Give it time, pitching prospects take a while to develop.
Soroka, Anderson, Wright, Allard, Wentz, Muller were drafted by Coppy/Hart – a major distinction from Folty, Newcomb, Wisler, Fried, Blair, Chris Ellis, Touki all acquired via trades.
There should also be a distinction with Gohara as he was traded for in 2017 – not “4 years ago” when they were in sell mode, trading stars for prospects. Gohara was a buy low, high ceiling option that a rebuilding team obtained.
True, but Folty & Newcomb are 2 of those and though they are (still) maturing, there’s been growth. Obtaining Touki Touissaint for the equivalent of $9M is looking better and better, as he’s turning corners in the high levels. Max Fried, though frustrating, still has a lot of upside, if the team will ever stick with him as a starting pitcher.
I hope Austin Riley becomes something, because if he’s a bust, then packaging Kimbrel with BJ Upton’s terrible contract to go to SD is going to look like an worse deal, especially if Wisler continues declining. Looking at what SD got from BOS for Kimbrel a year later and I’m shaking my head why ATL didn’t just eat Upton’s contract.
There is much more clarity into that when you understand that they’re operating independent of Liberty. Holding that money would have meant less money for flexibility in the draft and in getting guys like Touki.
Draft money is slotted so it wouldn’t have impacted what they could’ve spent in the draft. The Olivera and Kimbrel trades just weren’t good. The Miller trade was probably the only lucky one where the Braves won it the moment it was made just by the value they extracted.
Bourjos put up a decent .863 OPS in 105PA in Triple-A 2018, so maybe 31-year-old surprises.
Then I saw he’s .240/.296/.379 career major league hitter. I don’t know what to think of Bourjos.
Bourjos isn’t up for his bat. He’s one of the best outfielders in baseball, defensively, even at 31. As long as he can do that he’ll get jobs.
Hope so. He was 3-for-25, when he got the call-up for ATL earlier this year.
Sure, it was only 18 games in 27 plate appearances, so I’m curious. rooting for him to do well!
Davidcoonce=peter’s mom.
Ooh, sick burn.
He pushed Trout over to left and with Calhoun in right, it was a hell of a fast defensive outfield for a few months.
Why didn’t they just put Blair on the 60 day? Free move
I think by doing it now they know they could probably resign him and have him off the 40 man. If they move him to 60 day, when he is ready to come back, they will have to move him back and if they don’t they would be releasing a healthy player who would probably be picked up.
You can release a guy when he’s on the major league roster DL? The whole point of moving a guy to the 60-day DL is so he doesn’t count against the 40 man roster cap. They’re totally screwing the kid. What an unethical franchise.
Read the response above you. And if you read the article, you’d see that they’re paying for his rehab and that there’s a good chance they resign him to a minors deal.
Not a fan of Bourjas, but he is definitely a better fielder than Dustin Peterson. I understand the move, especially with Dustin needing atbats (he has a history of weird injuries derailing his development.
Bourjos was rough to watch even in the field earlier this year.
The braves have a really weak crop of outfielders past the guys in the big leagues it seems. Could really use extra depth there. Particularly capable center fielders. Pache looks great but unrefined.
Yes, Pache reportedly has amazing raw skills, but he needs a lot of seasoning. I’d be surprised if he sniffs the majors before September 2019. The Braves definitely will have one corner OF slot to fill after this season.
How was he rough to watch in the field? He did nothing to prove that. He gets little playing time and gets 1 at bat against a tough reliever late in a game. That’s the toughest job in baseball. The guy never complains. Plays hard. Hustles.
Bourjos is better option than Peterson, Culberson and Tucker, in my opinion. As a 4th or 5th OF, he offers better speed, defense and will get a hit from time to time. No need to freak out about this call up.
Idiotic. Check WAR
Culberson 2018 WAR 0.4. Career -0.5. Tucker 2018 WAR 0.0. Career -0.7. Bourjos 2018 WAR 0.1. Career 9.5. I’ll take the proven guy, with more experience, speed and defense as my bench player.
Hopefully Blair is resigned on a minor league deal. Sure he hasn’t performed, but with as many chances as wisler has had, I think Blair deserves a couple more shots, especially now that we know he was dealing with an injury. If anything, someone should gamble on him. He obviously had the potential to be good not long ago. Could just take the right coach making a small change that makes it all click for him
I’m sure CLE would give him a shot as a reliever. The HELP WANTED sign on the bullpen gate is now flashing with sirens blaring.