Atlanta Braves trade Jason Grilli to Blue Jays
Braves send former closer to Toronto in what appears to be a gift of good will to Canada
Let’s get right to it: Jason Grilli is now a Toronto Blue Jay. This isn’t exactly a surprise, as the veteran was expected to be dealt to a contender at some point, but the guess here is that the Braves were probably hoping for a little more in return.
How much in return? You might be surprised how little. The Braves have agreed to pay the rest of Grilli’s contract, minus the pro-rated major league minimum. That’s a bit complicated, but fortunately @gondeee did the math:
Who is Sean Ratcliffe?
Sean Ratcliffe is substantially less famous – but much taller – than Daniel Radcliffe. Here’s the basic bio from the team:
Here’s what they didn’t say:
- He’s a right hand reliever
- He has not officially pitched in 2016
- Still listed as active and a member of the Vancouver Canadians – a short-season, low Class A Northwest league team.
- Vancouver was not slated to start play for another three weeks.
This is likely one of those deals in which some anonymous scout thinks he ‘sees something’ in Ratcliffe and has had him on the radar. But given his lack of progression and status as an 18th round pick out of high school from 3 years ago, he has to be thought of as ‘not a prospect’ at this time. We’ll see if that changes.
Obligatory stats:
62 total innings over 3 short seasons, 6.5K/9, 5.3 BB/9, though much better in 2015 with 40 innings (3.6). Threw a 3.60 ERA in 2015 over 22 appearances with a 1.30 WHIP.
Replacing Grilli
Shae Simmons is still coming, but not quite ready to declare victory in his rehab efforts as yet, but it’s Weber now, who will also likely be the long man in the bullpen.
39½ year old Jason Grilli had a rough start to 2016 in his return from a ruptured Achilles injury last season, recording a 5.29 ERA in 21 appearances/17 innings. The 13 walks and 16 hits were especially troubling, though both of those numbers have been trending lower since May began.
In May, his ERA is 4.00 with 14K and 5 walks in 9 innings. More importantly, perhaps, is that hitters were getting only a .177 average off of Grilli after a .303 mark in April.
Next: Let's Buy Up Some Latin Teens!
We will miss Grilli: he’s one of the good guys in the sport, and he’s been an outstanding competitor for 17 seasons. We’re glad to have had a chance to have him in Braves’ Country for both 2015 and these couple of months.
Have a grilled cheese sandwich for him, eh?