Atlanta Braves: Bring Familiar Face Back to Atlanta
By Kit Anderson
The Atlanta Braves brought a familiar face back to Atlanta when they signed Blaine Boyer this week to a minor league pact.
The Atlanta Braves have done a great job over the last two years bringing back former players on minor league or one-year major league deals. The reason they have done a great job is the upside that many of these players have shown after being signed. It is has been an easy way to gather more prospects signing players with upside and dealing them at the break to further the Braves’ farm system.
That is exactly what the Braves are doing yet again this off-season. Signing former Brave Blaine Boyer is a good move that will give the Braves another trade chip or a solid bullpen arm if the Braves are surprise contenders.
Boyer was drafted by the Braves and made his debut in 2005 with Atlanta after failing to get it together in Atlanta, Boyer was traded. After taking two years off from baseball and believing his career to be ever Boyer made a comeback and turned himself into a quality Major League reliever. While he isn’t going to miss a lot of bats he will induce a lot of soft contact and is capable of eating innings from the bullpen.
The Braves made a similar move earlier this off-season adding former Braves Jordan Walden to the team. Walden and Boyer will both have equal opportunity in Spring Training to earn a spot in a mostly unproven Atlanta bullpen. At his best Walden is capable of setting up for closer Jim Johnson while Boyer would be expected to pitch earlier in games.
Adding Boyer to a Minor League deal doesn’t effect that the Braves still have spots open on their roster that they may use to address their bench before the start of the season.
Next: Braves Off-season Targets
Bringing Blaine Boyer back to Atlanta is a good move for an Atlanta front office that is collecting trade chips and veteran players. If Boyer proves unable to continue his resurgence the Braves haven’t lost anything giving Boyer a chance on a Minor League deal in Atlanta.