Former Atlanta Braves reliever Kirby Yates found a new landing spot this offseason, agreeing to terms with the Los Angeles Angels. It is a familiar landing spot for former Braves, despite Yates having spent the last two years with the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers. Still, it continues a familiar theme for an American League team that has constantly signed or traded for former Atlanta players and even hired former Braves and current San Francisco bench coach Ron Washington as the team's manager ahead of the 2024 season.
Yates is simply the latest in a never-ending trend. The reliever signed a one-year deal worth $5 million in what has the potential to be a bargain signing for the Angels. Dating back to the 2020 season, the Angels have rostered the following former Braves players: Jessie Chavez, David Fletcher, Tommy La Stella, Kurt Suzuki, Jorge Soler, Kenley Jansen, Travis d'Arnaud, Kevin Pillar, and Nicky Lopez.
These are just the most notable names with the Angels taking on 20 former Braves of note since the 2020 season. It is an odd trend for a team that is yet to have one winning season in the 2020s. This is despite having the talents of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the roster for much of this time. The Angels are helpless and appear to be chasing the greatness of Atlanta, hoping to find surprise fits with the franchise castoffs.
Former Braves Continue to Find Landing Spot with Struggling Angels
What is interesting about the Angels' willingness to take on former Atlanta players is that it does not start and stop with free agency. Los Angeles has made two notable trades with the franchise over the last handful of seasons, most recently taking on the contract of Jorge Soler, and three seasons ago, sending closer Raisel Iglesias to Atlanta. It speaks to two organizations that often do business despite Atlanta seemingly always coming out on the winning side of the equation.
No question, any Braves fans who feel nostalgic about watching old favorites haven't had a difficult time finding a second team to watch. Los Angeles refuses to have any creativity of its own, speaking to a losing organization that is attempting to find answers in Atlanta's former players.
For Yates, this doesn't quell the fact that it is a good landing spot after imploding with the Dodgers a season ago. In the 2023 season, Yates was incredibly productive with the Texas Rangers, offering 33 saves on an ERA of 1.17. This didn't translate into a great season in the spotlight with Los Angeles, but proved he's capable in the right landing spot.
It seems that for once, the Angels have added a former Brave who still has strong upside and remains a solid fit for the organization. Heading into the 2026 season, it will be interesting to see if this trend continues for a failing organization lacking any consistent answers, preferring to add depth from Atlanta's castoffs.
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