5:58PM: The Braves officially announced the roster moves.
5:50PM: Tanner Roark’s contract has also been selected, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (Twitter link). Roark inked a minor league deal with Atlanta shortly after the Blue Jays released him in early May. The veteran righty is looking for a fresh start after posting a 6.75 ERA over 54 2/3 innings for Toronto since the start of the 2020 season. In corresponding moves, Atlanta optioned right-handers Kyle Wright and Ty Tice to Triple-A, while catcher Alex Jackson and lefty Tucker Davidson were moved to the 60-day IL to create space for Chavez and Roark on the 40-man roster.
12:26PM: The Braves will select the contract of right-hander Jesse Chavez to start a bullpen game against the Reds tonight, tweets Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Chavez signed a minor league pact with the Braves back in April.
It was already known that Atlanta would be going with a bullpen game Thursday after recently placing Max Fried on the injured list due to a blister and playing a pair of doubleheaders this week. The Braves have yet to formally announce the move themselves, though that announcement — and a corresponding 40-man roster move — figures to come along shortly.
Chavez, 37, is a 13-year Major League veteran who’ll now be in his second stint as a member of the Braves. He pitched in 28 games for Atlanta back in 2010 when he was still working to solidify himself as a viable big league arm. Things didn’t pan out the first time around, but Chavez has gone on to have a solid career as a well-traveled swingman. From 2013-19, he split time between the A’s, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Angels, Rangers and Cubs, working to a combined 4.12 ERA in 738 2/3 innings (77 starts, 230 relief outings).
The 2020 season was an ugly one for Chavez, who was tagged for 13 runs in 17 innings out of the Rangers’ bullpen. He’s bounced back with a strong showing for Triple-A Gwinnett in 2021, logging 20 innings of 2.25 ERA ball with a 27-to-8 K/BB ratio. He’s been particularly sharp of late, rattling off six straight shutout innings and punching out 11 of his past 22 opponents.
Chavez hasn’t thrown more than two innings or topped 35 pitches in any of his 13 appearances with Gwinnett this season, so it’s unlikely he’ll be tasked with pitching any more than three innings unless he makes particularly quick work of the Reds the first time through the order. Today’s outing figures to be a spot start, but Chavez has a solid overall track record in the Majors and could stick around to give the Braves some depth in the bullpen if he fares well.
Good grief!
Heee’s Baaaack!
Atlanta is cursed!
The Braves are bad but not enough to admit that they aren’t making the playoffs and sell but they wont trade for players to try to contend and roll out make shift efforts like this. Be ready for 79 wins and a whole lot of disappointment.
Don’t worry the cards will be right there with em…. adding an all star third baseman doesn’t do a lot when you literally do NOTHING else to improve outside of Liberatore and Gorman I would gladly trade farms with you guys lol
The Cardinals have two championships this century though (2006, 2011). The Braves have zero championships this century and have only one since moving to Atlanta in 1966 (1995).
@Braves Butt – head
When they didn’t re-sign Melancon and O’Day, and waited to give Greene a contract, I already knew they just were not going to be as good. In 2020 when the Braves were in front after 5 or 6 it was shut the gate, on the contrary, just have a look this season at how many times the Braves have been in front and the game has been blown in the bullpen. The Braves didn’t improve that bullpen, they weakened it in quality and depth, hence the reason they are where they are in the standings right now.
The journey continues
If only they kept Melancon…
Stud
If only, but that’s not the problem right now. The offense has Abraham Almonte in the clean-up spot on occasions illustrating just how bad the offense can be outside of Acuna, Freeman, Albies. It’s nice seeing Riley, but he’s already starting to level out, while Swanson will continue to be consistently inconsistent.
The elephant in the room is Ozuna and why there’s nothing about how they’re going to address the short-term (he’s gone for the year – with or without pay) and long-term implications is tying their hands. (He’ll never play another game as a Brave again, possibly Braves not having to pay a majority of remaining dollars if he’s convicted (likely with 2 police witnesses) and subsequently put on the restricted list during a conviction/time served (you’re not paid while on the restricted list (so what would the Braves do to reinvest that, if anything?) Really great article here: beyondtheboxscore.com/2021/6/7/22463679/marcell-oz…
That’s a really informative link, @DMC.
Truthfully, I struggled to carefully read the entire piece as I don’t need to collect any more reasons to dislike baseball.
But Ring is really good with the legal stuff & if anyone is looking for an in-depth article on this, here it is.
Yeah, the gist is that the question shouldn’t be “can the Braves get out the contract because of language in the contract”, but with the writer coming from a legal background and how the process will likely go based on the evidence (and credible witnesses), based on how MLB has acted with lesser charges – one can presume that if Ozuna serves time, along with a suspension (by MLB), that most likely cover the duration of the contract, which means he could remain on the restricted list (without pay), similar to Felipe Vazquez – whom didn’t necessarily have his deal with PIT nullified, they just don’t pay him when he can’t perform because of his sentence. Considering how lengthy the process can/will take, and knowing it covers tens of millions of dollars, it’ll be interesting how ATL deals with it.
Damn Ring still has a job?
After the fangraphs DEBACLE I doubted I’d ever hear that name again
Appreciate the link, but Im skeptical of anything Ring now. She always bent the law to whichever way suited her personal views when w FG until it finally came crashing down on her
. But your right they HOPEFULLY get some clarity Very soon as thats going to be a huge dilemma that needs to be solved asap
I guess I’m unfamiliar with what particular “debacle” you are referring to, @Cap.
My membership to Fangraphs just recently expired. Don’t go there much anymore. Used to be a really awesome site. But, man, it’s just too much political stuff now.
I get it, though.
Good way to get clicks. Everyone is doing it. My fly fishing magazine has “woke” or whatever articles with titles such as “The Color of Fly Fishing”.
I’m not going to take my political cues from sport sites sports blogs or outdoors rags.
Ya know?
First offending athletes don’t do prison time for stuff like that
Is anything anywhere not “woke” anymore?. My once -conservative land-grant university has become a liberal storefront for whatever weird is “in” for that day.. I still watch the Braves & gnash my teeth daily at the inept play, but so far ATL’s “wokeness” is tolerable. If it gets worse I may become a movie watcher. All other sports are already long- gone – including the olympics..
Fangraphs has been in a tailspin for years now. I used to read that site every morning. Now I can’t remember the last time I went there for anything other than stats.
@60yr fan – if you don’t like woke, don’t watch movies, at least not current ones (or anything netflix has made)
Call me dated, but I only watch the ones on amazon prime I can stand – mostly military. When the “wokeness” starts in them, I quickly look for another one. Refuse to watch lies & made-up stuff
Some of the younger posters on the board (@mlb1225 & Rangers29) clued me in about Baseball Savant.
So I hardly ever go to fangraphs for anything at all anymore.
One thing I will say about MLBTR is that they are not overt in their bias. I’ll renew my subscription if they continue to act the same.
I’ve been impressed with how Mr Dierkes has navigated this.
Wouldn’t his being out for the year make Ozuna the Elephant out of the room?
Not until they reallocate his dollars and properly replace him with something more than a castoff (i.e. Almonte, Heredia). Though they have moved on from “mix it up” as a rally call and taken down all marketing materials featuring him, they have not moved on and it will be something else preventing them from competing until they do.
They couldn’t keep Melancon because he didn’t want to be there. They offered him more money than SD but he wanted to pitch close to home.
they didn’t offer him anything AA said
Oh great, another bum for Snitker to misuse and cost games. What more do they need to see to understand their bullpen is atrocious and they won’t make the playoffs unless they add significant upgrades? They need 8th and 9th inning options to bump the guys they do have into lower-leverage positions where they pitch better. Every week they wait to do this the odds of them missing the playoffs increases exponentially.
They have to find a team willing to trade with them if they’re going to acquire talent that way, and teams typically wait until closer to the trading deadline to make deals.
You contradicted yourself. How can Snitker misuse the bullpen when all he had to go to is hit garbage? He can only roll with what he has and that’s not much.
They aren’t mutually exclusive. He misuses the bullpen all the time, leaving pitchers in too long, and pitching them in the wrong situations, and their bullpen is also weak. It isn’t a contradiction. But hey, you commented. Good job, bud.
Are you implying that you can’t misuse not-good pitchers?
I’d say the only thing he’s done correctly is only use Luke Jackson for one hitter for a good portion of his appearances. Even though he is somewhat handcuffed by the number of lefties he has, he still could do a lot better at managing those options. Sean Newcomb should never pitch in high leverage situations or against right handed hitters with any semblance of plate discipline. Snitker deploys bullpen options like he’s a triple A manager trying to get everyone reps, not like a manager of a World Series contender. He should be replaced this off-season, regardless of how the rest of the season goes. They have over 20 bullpen losses. That’s pathetic.
I think most of the RP’s are proven pitchers and know how to pitch (except for L. Jackson he is the worst) I think they should all spend a little time in AAA, One at a time, Just to remind them where they could be unless they pitch better. I think its all in there heads. IMO
They definitely need a new pitching coach to help them “get out of their heads”. I do agree it’s part mental, but for some of them, they’re more “throwers” than “pitchers”. A better pitching coach could help guys like Matzek, Minter, Santana, and even veteran guys like Martin and Smith who have uncharacteristically been average-bad this year. Sometimes pitchers need to be instructed to make adjustments, not just trotted out there over and over to let them take their lumps and hope they work through it. To that effect, some time in triple A isn’t a bad idea, but only possible for guys with options. I still think they’re two power right handers short of having a bullpen that even approximates a contender. And manager that will deploy them correctly.
Excellent! I can always use another arm on my “All Older Than Me Team.”
I like this move. Whole lot of injuries and the braves are still entertaining people. I wonder if they make a move for melancan?
All I’ve wanted is one title a decade. It shouldn’t be THAT difficult with how many times this team has been in contention. I know we can’t be the Yankees with all those dynasties but the fact that we only have one title in Atlanta since 1966 is a joke.
Oh, is that all you want? Dodgers won 1 in 33 years and spent hundreds of millions more than ATL during that time and even now being the wealthiest and one of the most talented, they’re still not a shoo-in. Mariners as well as a few others have never won 1 (SEA never played for one) — and all you want it one a decade? It took the Cubs over a century. It was 86 years between Boston’s championships (2004-1918). And all you want is 1 per decade?
Gimme a break.
I’m with Run. EVERY team would “settle” for one title per decade, but the law of averages would only give teams one title every 30 years. By that measure, the Braves are right on track and you can expect your WS win in ‘25 or ‘26.
The Orioles won two in five years (1966, 1970) and also won in 1983. The Blue Jays won back-to-back (1992-1993) The Twins won two in five years (1987, 1991). The Marlins won two in seven years (1997, 2003). None of those are huge markets. With all the great teams Atlanta has had, there’s no reason why they couldn’t have won more than one championship.
Toronto not a huge market? Lol that’s hilarious
Toronto spends but not like NY or LA.
Well, one title in 55 years is definitely not good enough. I can tell you that for sure. Even if they had averaged a title once every 15 years then that would be three or four titles by now. Most teams haven’t had 22 postseason appearances since 1969.
Boston has four championships since 2004 though. We don’t even have one championship this century.
I don’t wanna give you crap ahole
Not that difficult? Has there been a team in recent history (60’s-ish) that has been able to win one every decade? The one team that comes to my mind that wins pretty frequently is St. Louis, but even they haven’t been able to do that: 64, 67, 82, 06, 11 – so even they missed the 70s and 90s. It might be easier to find a team that’s actually done it if you don’t go back as far, I’m too lazy to look into it further, but to say it shouldn’t be THAT hard seems like a statement that’s not based in reality.
To your comment after shifting the goalposts – yes, I think it’s totally realistic to think ATL could have won more than one WS, but I think that goes to show just how hard actually winning one is, even if you’re a really good team, reinforcing the point that it’s unrealistic to expect one every decade.
Most teams have not had as many competitive years as the Braves.
Atlanta’s postseason appearances over the last three decades…
1990s: Eight (‘91, ‘92, ‘93, ‘95, ‘96, ‘97, ‘98, ‘99)
2000s: Six (‘00, ‘01, ‘02, ‘03, ‘04, 05)
2010s: Five (‘10, ‘12, ‘13, ‘18, ‘19)
I don’t think it’s unrealistic at all to expect three to five titles out of all that.
Hey AA, this is another clue for you !
The Braves will win tonight. Of course they will.
But they will still finish in 4th this year…which is good because AA and Snit will hopefully be fired.
The problem is that they’re still holding onto the ‘90s. Snitker would not have gotten the manager job for any of the other 29 teams. He only got the manager job in Atlanta because he’s from within the organization. He would be a base coach at best anywhere else.
I agree. They are still sticking with the “Braves way” philosophy which is worthless. Maybe once Freeman moves on to a winning organization, there won’t be a player who “loves Snit.”
I need a couple championships…and I’d prefer that they come against big markets (NY/Boston/Chicago) to get more recognition. The ‘90s teams underachieved horribly but what bothers me the most is that Atlanta blew (most likely) the greatest chance we’ll ever have to beat the Yankees in the World Series in 1996. Then we were swept in the rematch in 1999. The loss to the Twins was rough but the worst part about the ‘90s is that we let the Yankees walk all over us. We needed to beat them in a World Series…even if it took several tries.
If Chavez pounds the zone and the Reds get to him then tip your cap. I’d rather him get beat then another guy that walks batters and digs his own hole.
MLB pitching is terrible after your first two starters on nearly every team.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Braves are grasping at straws as their pitching is decimated.
2021- Year of the Injuries
Its been 11 years since the last time Chavez suited up for the Braves. Amazing to see he is still around and coming back
I remember Chavez as a Pirate, which even slightly precedes his Braves tenure, and I feel the same way. As mediocre as he was then I’m floored that he’s still around… good for him, I suppose.
He is much improved now, he has secrets on making hitters ( and GM’s ) look foolish.
How many more teams does Chavez have to go to complete the cycle of being employed by each team at least once.
my count is that he is on team #11 (second spin with ATL)
Your count is a little off. He’s pitched for: PIT, ATL (twice), KCR, TOR (twice), OAK, LAD, LAA, TEX (twice), and CHC. Nine teams, three of them twice.
Chavez history
1. Cubs (did not sign as a draftee), Later via Trade
2. Rangers (Draft), via trade, free agency
3. Pirates via trade
4. Rays via trade (never took field)
5. Braves via trade, via free agency
6. Royals via trade
7 Blue Jays off waivers
8 A’s via purchase
9 Dodgers via tade
10 Angels via free agency
Anytime I hear Braves and BP game (or just BP) in the same sentence, my hopes of a win immediately disintegrate.
Agreed, my perspective is that the ‘pen will inevitably blow the lead, so they can sooner do it to allow more innings after the inevitable to mount a comeback.
I still don’t understand why there are so many teams using bullpen games. What happened to the fifth starter? It seems no team has one.
Astros have seven legit starters going
Unfortunately the days of teams having a set five man staff and maybe only using two or three other starters has gone the way of the dodo
….Kimd of like catchers kneeling now to block dirt-pitches while allowing more past balls & wild pitches they once got to? Maybe just me, but when I see 4 and 5 a game, each time moving up runners, I ask why?
This time actually made sense because the Braves just played doubleheaders on consecutive days (Sunday and Monday) and they also have several starters injured (Soroka, Fried, Davidson, Ynoa). What doesn’t make sense is the extreme lack of bullpen depth the Braves have.
AA’s hands are tied up on the Ozuna front till the case runs it’s corse. On top of it, i don’t think freeman is playing fully healthy either. AA dragged his feet this off-season waiting for the bargain bin to open up again and that has failed miserably! Keeping basically the same team clearly wasn’t enough to get them to the top but yet that’s basically all he did. To ignore the pitching staff AGAIN and to just keep the offense the same should tell you they weren’t going anywhere this year regardless! If this team that was so close can’t spend anymore to put them over the top what more can anyone expect. No sense worrying about the playoffs atm. Just worry about taking care of freeman and figure out now how to gear up for next year. The biggest question is, is AA’s hands tied up on the roster by Liberty, or is this just AA not being able to look beyond good but just not good enough roster building.
Based off his time in Toronto I think AA has shown in the past to be anything but shy when given the green light by ownership. I do know that there was a time I envied the Braves future while now I’m just not as sure. They had an absolutely stacked system and a couple of possible young superstars to build around that they’d even signed to what seem to be team friendly longer term deals but so far they seem content to be a team to contend with but not necessarily fear. My guess is if they haven’t been willing to open that war chest yet they won’t do it at the deadline. The list of possible starting trade candidates is short and the list of needy teams is long. To fix it now will likely cost them draft capital they won’t want to pay. I follow the Cardinals and while they aren’t as strong as the Braves our gm has basically said we won’t break the bank to fix the rotation which is a position I think the Braves are likely to take. If I were the Braves I’d try to bring in a quality arm but no rentals. They are built to be good beyond 2021 I’d want a guy who could help me next year at least to give up anything of serious note.
Who cares he’ll be DFA in 5-7 days
We’ll send you Matt Harvey for a 6 pack of PBR
Harvey was decent his first six starts but his last nine have been horrendous. Unfortunately the Dark Knight seems to no longer rise…
Two elite former Blue Jays
Braves problem is not enough good starting pitching, the league is figuring out last year’s starters. Not enough offense either to come from behind when down by 5+ runs. Arizona or Pittsburg probably have some good trade candidates.
Have to admire guys like Chavez — hangin’ on for as long as they can! Still has something to offer.
ChavezPog
I think the Braves should be sellers at the deadline. The team can’t get a decent winning streak going even against some real bad teams and ownership seems too cheap to look for real solutions to their offense and pitching problems. Not a fire sale mind you just expiring contracts as well as players that are not in their plans for next season. I really hope I’m wrong but I don’t think so.
So if you’re talking about expiring contracts or those not in their plan for next year, then Freeman’s traded (for more than a compensatory pick) along with Morton/Smyly on 1-year deals, but seriously then, who’s pitching? Trading Morton, when he took a fair deal to play near home, would look really bad to future free agents (which means there’s considerably less teams Morton would even be interested going to). ATL would have to eat some significant money on Smyly’s deal and even though he’s been pitching better-than-awful lately, it’s not worth it. Swanson’s a free agent after next season and I doubt they’d get much interest in him considering his year. Inciarte, same. Chris Martin could find a home, but not for much. We would trade Minter wearing a Matzek uniform. Honestly, there’s not a lot of pieces (outside of Freeman) really worth trading, and I still think that ATL’s front office hasn’t figured out whether they want to re-sign Freeman or not.
Chavez did a good job against the Reds, all that could be asked of him.
The Braves goal is to make money . Winning all games is secondary
What’s funny is the Braves announcers calling Luke Jackson an all star as he comes in and blows the game by giving up walk homer single single. Next game gives up a bomb. Absolutely no mention of his inherited runs allowed. Just idiots wanting to drink the kool-aid.