What Are The Braves Getting In David Aardsma?

The Atlanta Braves optioned RHP Cody Martin to AAA Gwinnett after last night’s letdown in the top of the 11th inning.  Atlanta will bring up veteran RHP David Aardsma up from AAA Gwinnett as the Braves’ 17th relief pitcher of the season.  The team is averaging a new reliever every 3.35 games played.  So we’re on pace to have 49 different relief pitchers in 2015.  So what does David Aardsma bring to the table besides being alphabetically first on our all-time Braves roster (yes, he passes Hank Aaron.)?

David Aardsma has played in 8 MLB seasons for 7 teams, most notably a two-year stint with the Seattle Mariners.  In 2009-10 with the Mariners, Aardsma saved 69 games as the team’s closer.  He has a hard biting slider and a 92 MPH fastball in his pitching repertoire.

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This spring Aardsma received a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers with the hopes of joining the big league ball club at some point.  When that wasn’t happening, he opted out of his deal and became a free agent.  The Braves organization signed him within the week and he will likely make his Braves debut against the San Diego Padres this week.

Aardsma has a career 4.23 ERA over 306.1 Major League innings.  While he pitched well as the Mariners closer, his ERA has been over 4.00 at every other stop for him (Giants, Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox, Yankees, and Mets).  Though he does average a strikeout per inning in his big league career (9.0 S09), Aardsma will walk some guys (5.0 BB9) and give up the occasional long ball (1.0 HR9).

So on paper a guy that hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2013 doesn’t look like an obvious improvement to our dead last bullpen.  But I think like Jim Johnson and Jason Grilli, Aardsma has big league experience in multiple roles as a reliever that should give Fredi Gonzalez more versatility in his ‘pen.

I think David Aardsma will pitch well for us, or at least I hope he does.  His opportunity with the Atlanta Braves might be his last as a big league pitcher.  If he can’t contribute and improve this horrendous Braves bullpen, he might find himself out of baseball.  I applaud that John Hart is feverishly trying to figure this relief corps nightmare out.  You just have to keep putting new guys out there and see what sticks.  Try to imagine what Frank Wren would have done in this situation.  Welcome to the Braves, David!  Hopefully it works out for both you and your new team.