The Braves have released veteran left-handed reliever Jake Diekman, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’d been in camp as a non-roster invitee this spring but was reassigned to minor league camp on Sunday. He’s the second non-roster veteran cut loose by Atlanta recently, joining catcher Curt Casali, who was released on Monday.
Diekman, 38, appeared in seven Grapefruit League games and tossed 7 1/3 innings with Atlanta. He was tagged for four runs on six hits and four walks with eight punchouts and a 45% ground-ball rate. The resulting 4.91 ERA isn’t eye-catching, but it’s a small sample and Diekman has a lengthy if inconsistent track record at the MLB level.
Diekman spent the 2024 season with the division-rival Mets, for whom he pitched 32 innings with a 5.63 ERA before being released in August. As is typical, the left-hander both missed bats and issued free passes at high levels: 27.6% strikeout rate, 16.6% walk rate.
Command — or lack thereof — has always been an issue for Diekman. He’s walked fewer than 10% of his opponents just once in 13 big league seasons, and it came way back with the 2013 Phillies. He’s walked 13.4% of his opponents in 602 1/3 career innings. However, Diekman has often been able to mitigate the damage from those walks thanks to both a hefty strikeout rate (career 28.7%) and plenty of grounders (career 46.9%), helping him induce a fair number of double plays.
As recently as 2023, Diekman notched a 3.34 ERA in 56 2/3 big league innings between the White Sox (for whom he struggled) and the Rays (with whom he thrived). His results tend to fluctuate on a year-to-year basis, but Diekman sports a 3.91 ERA in his career and a 3.94 mark over the past five big league seasons. A club seeking a veteran lefty in the ’pen could take a look at him as a low-cost option.
For the Braves, Diekman’s release and this week’s trade of Angel Perdomo likely cement that Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer will be the only two southpaws in Brian Snitker’s bullpen. That pair will join closer Raisel Iglesias and right-handed setup man Pierce Johnson in the mix for late-inning work.
Aaron Judge smiles
He did hold left handed batters to a .569 OPS last year. Iron Pigs need a lefty in their pen, especially with Strahm not being 100% right now. Bring back the familiar face.
I think he’s a better fit on the Trash Pandas myself
You have my vote AC…..
Diekman is indeed a man of Deke. Able to deke clubs into throwing moolah his way.
Back to the Rangers!!
AJ Preller is bbbj-ing some rando guy in a back alley in Tijuana right now, he’ll call in a couple of hours when his cell phone is not on international roaming.
Go sloppysecondsPADRES!