O'Ventbrel

by drumzalicious on Mar 10, 2026 9:47 PM EST

This is a post/discussion brought to light by an MLBTR suggesting Eric O'Flaherty as an extension candidate.

So this past off-season EOF got a nice 2.5ish mil salary in his 2nd time through arb. If he has another good year in line with the last 3 seasons he could end up at the 3-3.5 mil range in his last time through.

Venters on the other hand is scheduled to hit arbitration the first time this off-season. The last two years his numbers have actually been better than EOF and he could be looking at a 1.5-2mil salary his first time through if not more.

Kimbrel is first time eligible in the 2014 season and if he puts up numbers this year like he did last year he probably won't break Papelbons record for the 1st time through but he could end up in the 4 mil range.

So I ask TC. What do you guys think the future is for our O'Ventbrel trio? The 3 of them are arguably the best relief trio in the bigs however the Braves are a mid market team and to keep all of these guys going forward could be pretty pricey as in the 12-20 mil range depending on how much Venters and Kimbrel get their first years through arbitration. With that being said its a slim to none chance they all stay around.

Just curious to hear the opinions of everyone else.

This FanPost does not express the views or opinions of Talking Chop.

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Venters and Kimbrel will both be getting closer money in the future, no doubt about that. I think it’s a little unreal to go ahead and assume that all three of them will have seasons like last year every single year. If by some magical way we have all three of them healthy and successful, then I could see them trading one or two of them, depending on the prospects that will be available at the time.

You shouldn’t sip liquor.
-justincredubil02

no, Jack Daniel is whiskey.
-ChopMaster

"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while."

by abraves257 on Mar 10, 2026 10:27 PM EST reply actions

Arodys Vizcaino

"I heard that Tits was "well rounded" and his brother Cans was a "stand out." :D"
by Old Braves' Fan on Aug 18, 2025 3:05 PM PDT

by BravesRaleigh on Mar 11, 2026 1:32 AM EST reply actions

Trade at least one of them.

RPs are a dime a dozen. It’s foolish to spend a lot of money on one individual RP.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 11, 2026 4:53 PM EDT reply actions

I agree with your idea but not the reasoning behind it. RPs are cheap, but top tier closers and set up men are not. We could have 6 Chris Reitsmas back there for dirt cheap.

You shouldn’t sip liquor.
-justincredubil02

no, Jack Daniel is whiskey.
-ChopMaster

"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while."

by abraves257 on Mar 11, 2026 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s why I say “one individual RP”.

I think a bullpen is a very undervalued thing. I think a “closer” or a “set up” man is a very over-valued thing.

I’ll take a bullpen of 6 Christian Martinez’s and put that up against any bullpen, money being the driving factor here. Dollar for dollar, I would be better off.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 11, 2026 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I think we all learned the value of having a guy who can come in in the 9th and shut things down 95% of the time. You would trust CMart as your 8th and 9th inning guys for a whole season? If he could perform as well as Kimbrel or Venters, he would demand the same compensation, so it doesn’t matter.

You shouldn’t sip liquor.
-justincredubil02

no, Jack Daniel is whiskey.
-ChopMaster

"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while."

by abraves257 on Mar 12, 2026 4:18 AM EDT up reply actions

I have a belief

that 3 outs are 3 outs and good pitchers are good pitchers.

I don’t think paying someone an outrageous amount of millions of dollars to get 3 outs in order to earn a made up stat is a good investment.

Just look at the dominant “closers” over the years - look at how many there have been, and then look at how many remain good for longer than a few years.

You can always find someone for cheap who can get three outs.

Bad “closers” are typically bad pitchers. Chris Reitsma wasn’t a good pitcher - so it made no sense to give him the ball continuously to get a “save”.

And yes, in the financially constrained world that is Braves Baseball, I would trade Venters/Kimbrel before paying them a large sum of money to do what lots of other, cheaper pitchers can do.

Kimbrel is a perfect example of my theory - previously, we paid Billy Wagner $12.5M (IIRC) to do what we just paid Kimbrel $450,000 to do, and Kimbrel did it just as well, if not better.

There will always be a Kimbrel out there. We would be better served to find and develop the next Kimbrel than to try to hang on to the current Kimbrel by paying him a ridiculous amount of money to do what lots of other people can do.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions

"look at how many there have been, and then look at how many remain good for longer than a few years."

for laziness sake, I’m gonna do no research and say the only ones with sustained excellence over greater than 7 years in the last two decades are Billy Wagner and Mo Rivera.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 12, 2026 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Trevor Hoffman.

by swainzy on Mar 12, 2026 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions

So 3

I figured I’d forget someone. Either way, 3, when there’s 30 teams, isn’t a good sign of relying on an individual reliever long term as a successful strategy.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 12, 2026 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions

2006

The Braves blew 29 saves that year. Converting half of those makes the Braves a 93-94 win team and a lock for the Wild Card and maybe even #15. Just because there’s bullpen quality to be had for league minimum doesn’t necessarily mean that the Braves have, or have the capability of acquiring said cheap bullpen talent, and 2006 is a blatant example of showing the importance of at least a few flyers on some reputably reliable bullpen arms, even if it means throwing some money out there. Otherwise, you get stuck with failures like Reitsma, McBride, Paronto, Ray, Foster, Remlinger and of course, Dan KolBB.

Sure, every team would love to be like the 2008 Rays and cobble together a bunch of minor league deals, rookies, and pre-arb guys and have a lights-out bullpen, but even then, they still had put some money towards Troy Percival, even if he were ultimately supplanted by the unleashing of David Price, to be a contingency plan.

As much as I hate to accept it, I’m betting that there’s zero percent chance that the Braves retain EOF for the long haul. One of them could feasibly get a long-term deal (likely Kimbrel), and as long as his arm doesn’t fall off, every team in MLB would be stupid to not consider Jonny Venters. And if EOF keeps doing what he’s doing, I bet the Braves would swap him for prospects and/or minor leaguers with more options and team control.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Mar 12, 2026 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions

That said though roy

the position of relief pitcher is constantly overturning. Who knows if or when Kimbrel or Venters blow out an elbow, or a shoulder, and are never the same again. That’s happened with several promising and talented young relief arms. Or if their control just disappears Ankiel style. Look at the list of save leaders over the last 15 years or so roy. You’ve got 3 stable, reliable, consistent arms in Rivera, Wagner, and Hoffman. Go beyond that small trio, and you’re looking at some good arms, but nothing near that caliber in Percival, KRod, Francisco Cordero, Armando Benitez, Bob Wickman, Uggy Urbina. Even a Joe Nathan, who was solid for a while, broke down and who knows what is coming out of him now that he’s a Ranger.

So the fact is, while Kimbrel may be the righty Wagner we all want him to be an Urbina, or have one bad moment in a playoff series and become another Lidge. In terms of long term success, a relief pitcher is the riskiest bet in baseball by far. With the bevy of young arms we keep producing (not likely to be never ending, but may as well ride it while it lasts), I’ve got no problem turning things over to say Vizcaino in a couple years, or Hoover, or maybe Carlos Perez or Abraham Espinosa, etc. Keep drafting strong armed starters, and relief arms can be taken care of when the excess and failed starters flow through.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 12, 2026 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions

typing before I think

“So the fact is, while Kimbrel may be the righty Wagner we all want him to be he could just be an Urbina, or have one bad moment in a playoff series and become another Lidge”

Or a Billy Koch, JJ Putz, etc.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 12, 2026 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Even if he is the next Wagner that we want him to be

I still don’t want to pay him a lot of money. I’d rather invest that money in a more important individual.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

You just kinda proved my point

None of those guys are really good pitchers, yet they comprised the entire bullpen for us.

And Kolb is a perfect example of why teams shouldn’t over pay for a closer.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, they were our bullpen, but look at how we did that year. Sure you can field a team of quad-A nobodies for cheap, but you won’t win.

You shouldn’t sip liquor.
-justincredubil02

no, Jack Daniel is whiskey.
-ChopMaster

"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while."

by abraves257 on Mar 12, 2026 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s not about “nobodys”. It’s about effective pitchers.

Our bullpen now is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. It’s almost completely built from within the organization, and nobody in it is making a ton of money.

When these guys start to command tons of money, we let them go elsewhere and reload.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Well yeah, they will let them go as long as there is a player in the organization who can replace him. Unless you’re the Marlins or Pirates, you don’t do that.

You shouldn’t sip liquor.
-justincredubil02

no, Jack Daniel is whiskey.
-ChopMaster

"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while."

by abraves257 on Mar 12, 2026 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not quite sure how

I brought those names up to prove that you can’t just slap anyone out there making league minimum and expect great results. A minimum-making Craig Kimbrel, and pre-arb Jonny Venters are great luxuries to have now, but look how the team had to sift through and stand by with the crap bullpen guys until such gems came about. And this is typically the MO for most teams.

When the O’VBs of baseball start commanding money, their teams better be praying they have adequate contingency plans in place. Otherwise, they end up locking themselves into free agent relievers, or they end up like the 2006 Braves.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Mar 12, 2026 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s not about finding cheap arms - it’s about finding good arms.

There are dozens of good FA pitchers on the market every year that won’t command the salaries of the top closers.

The bullpen you listed featured a “closer” that the Braves traded for who then fizzled out while here.

The rest of the guys weren’t good pitchers to begin with.

My point isn’t to find the cheapest players, but rather, not to spend millions on one player (like we did with Wagner and Saito).

When it comes time for Kimbrel and Venters to make $5M or $6M per year, it’s time to let them go.

Obviously, a team can’t just snap it’s fingers and have quality replacement guys. It takes good scouting/drafting/development to make it happen, but Atlanta is certainly in a great position to allow for this on a sustained basis.

With the guys we have in the ’pen and the system right now, there is absolutely no need to shell out millions of dollars on one arm - especially with the holes opening up in the field that will have to be filled.

I guess my entire point is that closers and saves are overrated and I hate paying for them.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I hear you

Roles are overrated, and the save/hold stat have convoluted the idea of relief pitching. But on the other side of the coin, it is rewarding relievers and recognizing that they have value too; from the human perspective, it’s good that these guys are getting the chance to make some money in their volatile careers if they do their jobs well.

What I can see the Braves doing in the future is that they’re eventually going to let EOF go, either via trade, or if he makes it to free agency and at a Type-A no less, then arb and let him walk for the draft picks, if it’s possible. They’ll keep the long-term projected superior pitcher between Kimbrel and Venters (probably Kimbrel because Jonny’s arm will fall off), and if it turns out that he could be projected for a few good years, then sure, give him a 4-year deal or something.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Mar 12, 2026 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions

So long as we don’t make him one of the highest paid closers in baseball over those 4 years, I don’t have a problem locking up a good arm.

For me, it’s all about the value.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions

EOF

is a great example - the Mariners had no use for him, our scouts saw something they liked, and we snatched him up for cheap.

Back in the Tex deal, Ron Mahay was a bit of a throw-in who ended up being quite a dominant RP for us.

Vizcaino, the “throw-in” in the Melky-JV deal also fits the description.

Soriano and Gonzalez are two more examples of arms that other teams didn’t really value, but our scouts saw the potential.

And while Wagner turned in one exciting season for us, one of the best for a closer we’ve seen, was it really worth $12.5M? I don’t think it was, and you’d be hard-pressed to convince me otherwise.

Take Philly’s current situation for another example: they have Antonio Bastardo, who is a REALLY good RP, and yet, they not only brought in a guy that they have to pay millions for, they also gave away other pieces to get him. Why? Because he’s a “closer” and Bastardo was not.

Again, good pitchers are good pitchers and 3 outs are 3 outs. I still can’t figure out why 3 outs in the 9th are any harder to get than 3 outs in the 6th or 7th, and why it takes a “special” pitcher to be able to do his job.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions

To quote The 40 Year Old Virgin

They’ve put the ~~p***y~~ save on a pedestal.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Vizcaino wasn't a "throw-in"

he was the main piece.

Gonzo was the Pirates closer when we acquired him for a quality 1B in LaRoche. And Soriano was a late inning arm for the Mariner’s who just had injury issues when we sent them a decent young starting prospect in Horacio Ramirez.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 12, 2026 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s why “throw-in” had quotation marks.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions

OK, how about the Gonzo and Soriano comment then?

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 13, 2026 6:27 AM EDT up reply actions

We didn’t give up a lot for either…so….I’m not sure what you’re driving at.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 13, 2026 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions

In hindsight it doesn't look like much,...

but LaRoche was our starting 1B when we gave him up. He’d hit over 30 HRs in the previous year for the Braves, and was entering his arb1 season. While he hasn’t blossomed much, that’d be like dealing Freeman after 2013, and quite significant loss. Losing LaRoche led to the Wilson/Thorman debacle and thus the Tex trade, so yeah, we gave up quite a bit, specifically in LaRoche, and ultimately in the long term ramifications of that deal which necessitated the Tex deal.

Horacio Ramirez wasn’t much, but he wasn’t chopped liver either. He was a more significant piece than what we gave up for McLouth, or Derek Lee, among other recent deals.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 13, 2026 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

You also described both as arms their teams "didn't value"

which is simply not true. Gonzo was their closer. So Pittsburgh thought pretty highly of him, again, evidenced by the solid price of LaRoche. And Soriano was an integral late inning arm for the Mariners when healthy. So trying to twist it in to a “didn’t give up a lot” (which in terms of Gonzo is absolutely false) after saying they were players “that other teams didn’t really value, but our scouts saw the potential” is also simply, absolutely, false.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 13, 2026 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions

Wags

Made under $7M. He turned in 2.2 WAR. Lowball that, and he still played to around $8.8M in value.

As for the Phillies, yeah I agree, it’s funny what they’re doing. But same with the Mets and their signings of Rauch/Francisco/Carrasco. None of them are really that great, but they have “experience,” therefore they’re better than anyone internally. Sadly, which is Bobby Parnell, who despite the 101 mph fastball, still sucks.

Come on though, you used to have some more humanity in your posts back in the day. You know exactly why three outs in the ninth are harder than three outs in the seventh - those pesky intangibles that some people don’t want to acknowledge like weak mental capacity and the essence of pressure. You play enough rec-league softball to know that if you step to the plate, and MUST hit a grand slam to keep the team alive because all the outfielders are running the DaVanzo Shift on you, you’re going to feel pressure. Don’t act like you don’t know what it is anymore.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Mar 12, 2026 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions

But it's man-made pressure

Many games are more on the line in the 7th inning than in the 9th.

And are you sure about that Wagner contract? I thought he hit incentives that carried it to over $12M.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe I’m thinking of the combination of Wags and Saito after their bonuses…I just checked Cots, but it doesn’t give the incentive amounts.

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 12, 2026 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions

It doesn't really make a difference

People feel it, and sometimes it affects their performance detrimentally. Imaginary as it may be, it’s still a factor with legitimate impact.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Mar 12, 2026 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions

this

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 13, 2026 6:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Honest question: Can you think of any good pitchers who couldn’t “close” but could pitch with runners on in the 7th?

My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.

by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2025 7:25 PM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Mar 13, 2026 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions

Easy

Tyler Clippard. Throughout his career he has 1 save and 18 blown saves. Now that’s misleading because saves can be blown prior to the ninth, but I caught a game where the Nats and White Sox went extra innings in Chicago, and after getting the lead the Nats went to Tyler Clippard to close. MASN reporters flashed this stat that in actual last-three out situations, Tyler Clippard was like 1/7 in his career, and then he proceeded to blow that save too.

But take the last three outs out of the game and Clippard was gangbusters all last year; the only reliever with a better WPA score than Jonny Venters, pitched in more innings than JV, and just look at his situational pitching in 2011, namely the sections of runners on/less than two outs.

Perfect example of a guy who can dominate any other time than the last three outs.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Mar 13, 2026 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions

I wanna say the Orioles have had that issue the last few years

of guys who were very effective in the 7th and 8th, but no one could finish things off in the 9th.

In addition to roy’s Clippard, you can look at Joel Hanrahan who had that issue although he may be finally overcoming it in low pressure Pittsburgh. Matt Thornton of the White Sox fits that description. He’s been a great set up man in the 7th and 8th, but whenever they’ve tried to make him close the last two years he’s been horrible. Strong set up men Luke Gregerson and Daniel Bard have high blown save #s, although that may not be a true blown save, after being great set up men. Rafael Bethancourt looks like he fits that bill of strong in set up but not in the 9th.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 13, 2026 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions

No

It was a 7M contract with a 6.5M vesting option. There is no way the Braves would commit 12M to sign Wagner

by Braves24 on Mar 12, 2026 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m not saying we should lock any of them in to five year $50MM contracts tomorrow, I mean I’ve always said that closers have less longevity than elite running backs do in the NFL. But to say that you can just throw anyone out there in the 9th for an entire season is crap. Sometimes it works for some teams some years, like when we had that stretch in the early 2000s with guys like Chris Hammond pitching well, but most often it does not work.

Also, saying we’re getting the same thing we got from a veteran out of a rookie for a tenth the price is just plain dumb. How often does a team have dominant starters earning the league minimum? Wagner made that much early in his career too, so I really do not see where you are going with that. We knew we would have Kimbrel to take over as closer last year, so they signed Wagner to bridge the gap.

You shouldn’t sip liquor.
-justincredubil02

no, Jack Daniel is whiskey.
-ChopMaster

"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while."

by abraves257 on Mar 12, 2026 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

See the list above my duck loving friend

the guys who’ve done the job in the past don’t seem any more reliable than “just anyone”. it’s a tenuous position at best, and quality young relievers fall by the way side often. Maybe we can coax a quality 5-7 years or so out of him, ala a Percival. Maybe he can do the job for a decade and a half ala Wagner. Maybe he blows out an elbow and becomes dust quickly ala Putz, Koch, among several others. As you say, the position has less longevity than any, and is by far the riskiest spot in baseball. Teams sign big money closers, or trade for big name closers, and often get bust. With that in mind, if someone is willing to give us a good package for O’Flaherty, or even a strong package for Venters or Kimbrel, considering the nature of the position, that’s something you have to consider cashing in before you ride that lucky streak a bit too long.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Mar 12, 2026 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions

eams sign big money closers, or trade for big name closers, and often get bust.

This goes beyond just closers though. How often does any player sign on as a free agent and live up to his contract over the course of 4-6 years? There’s no mystery behind the free agent system in this sport. I agreed with Justin above that one or two of them will and should be traded, and I also said above that closers lack effective longevity. It’s just a dangerous game to essential be trading the guy you find most likely to be injured, and that could come back and bite us in the ass.

You shouldn’t sip liquor.
-justincredubil02

no, Jack Daniel is whiskey.
-ChopMaster

"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while."

by abraves257 on Mar 12, 2026 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I dunno abraves, having six Chris Reitsmas could have its advantages . . .

Chop chop, dig dig. Chop chop, dig dig.

by BrockSamson on Mar 12, 2026 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I would have traded EOF or Venters this offseason. With the type of talent they have in the bullpen and the depth, losing one could have been worth it if you look at the price that closers were getting. Trading one could have netted a solid return.

Follow @Ben_Duronio

by BenDuronio on Mar 12, 2026 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Pitching

The Braves will continue to try to build a team around their pitching staff. Given that having the best bullpen in MLB does not exactly suck, I say the team will try like hell to keep them all as long as they each continue to be healthy and lights out.

by fandave on Mar 11, 2026 8:00 PM EDT reply actions

We'll probably keep them through the first or second year of arb

then trade them for offense or prospects, and bring up another wave of skilled young relief pitchers, we have a system set up for this because we draft a lot relief pitchers with really good stuff.

"Your an idiot" (jrod1142)
"*You're" (swainzy)
From one of the greatest posts of all time

by JHey1212 on Mar 11, 2026 8:04 PM EDT reply actions

Part of me thinks

this is also why some of our SP prospects have been getting some time as relievers as well. For example JJ Hoover was having a good year as a starter and next thing you know he’s a reliever.

by drumzalicious on Mar 12, 2026 12:19 AM EDT reply actions

Hoover profiles as a stellar reliever or a 4th starter

Venters was a failed starter, but is an excellent reliever. We have some guys who also were drafted as relievers and not pushed up like we did to Devine back in the day. With a limited budget and elite, hard-to-come by talents like Freeman, McCann, and Heyward needing contracts as well as having Uggla signed for some time, I have a feeling the relievers will be pushed through for the next cheap guy for a while.

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by ChopMaster on Jul 7, 2025 10:24 PM CDT (joined Jul 19, 2025)

Twitter: @biggentleben

by biggentleben on Mar 12, 2026 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions