Gavin Floyd Officially Signed With Atlanta

Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Not entirely sure how you “pass” a physical with a surgically-repaired elbow, but I’ll let that slide for now:  Gavin Floyd is now a member of the Atlanta Braves, and will be added to the 40-man roster as has rehabs that elbow in the hopes of being activated…. sometime during the 2014 season.  On Saturday we said a lot more about Floyd – I won’t rehash all of that here.

More info on that contract:

I am still going to maintain my belief that Floyd can be looked upon as a ‘trade-deadline-pickup-without-actually-having-to-trade-anybody-away.’  Some have suggested that he’ll be ready to pitch major league innings as soon as May.  I lean heavily toward July, given the severity of the surgery (two repaired ligaments).  Obviously, the incentives are related to appearances/innings/dates and such, but unfortunately, such incentives tend to make one try and return sooner than later, which is most likely not in the player’s best long-term interests.

Either way, it’s likely a reasonable pickup for Atlanta; we’ll see how it all plays out.

_______________

The Obvious Questions….

• So What Does the Opening Day Rotation Look Like?  In some order…. Mike Minor, Kris Medlen, Julio Teheran, Brandon Beachy, and Alex Wood.
• How Does Floyd Fit in When He Does Return?  Last year, the Braves were the last team in the majors to have used only 5 starters… and that lasted only until June started.  So the idea that ‘somebody’ might have to be kicked out isn’t necessarily the case.  In fact, it’s much more likely that he would replace a fallen warrior.
• What About David Price?  Well, he’s still a Tampa Bay Ray, and the chance of Atlanta getting him continues to lessen.  As I suggested the other day, I believe we’re still interested in getting him, and likely would pull the trigger on a deal if there’s one to be had… regardless of Floyd’s presence.  Any time you can make the club better via trade, you need to consider it.  In all honesty, though, I actually believe that this deal with Floyd has much more impact on the Braves’ interests in lesser trade candidates (Jeff Samardzija) than in guys like David Price or even Kyle Lohse.

>>Update from Mark Bowman:

• What Does the Budget Look like After This?  I now have the 25-man roster at an estimated opening day payroll of $88.2 million, counting Floyd’s $4m plus a major-league minimum guy to hold his slot on the active roster until he returns (two of those guys, actually – one for Floyd, one for Venters).  Various reports suggest that there’s still roughly $12m available to spend…. on…. somebody.  GM Frank Wren seems to hold some of that back for July deals, though with the rehabbing pitchers already expected back, there may actually be less urgency for July additions in 2014 (we hope) than in prior years.
• Speaking of Signings, what’s going on with Eric O’Flaherty?  We heard last week that there was likely some mutual interest in bringing him back, and that Atlanta had extended an offer.  Time to read between the lines a bit here:  EOF made $4.32 million in 2013.  That’s pretty decent for a non-closer reliever.  Given that he’ll be available for maybe no more than 100 games this year – and Frank’s propensity to start low – I have to guess that the delay in hearing anything further means that Eric was a bit disappointed in the offer and is sitting on it for a bit… hoping for something better elsewhere.  The Braves seem to have solid bullpen options right now… Jordan Walden, David Carpenter, Luis Avilan, Jonny Venters (later on), Anthony Varvaro, and Craig Kimbrel, of course.  New signee Luis Vasquez is likely to join this group as well, so if EOF wants in, he may have to go ahead and take what he’s been offered.