Atlanta Braves Pick Up INF Micah Johnson from Dodgers
Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves agreed to send utility infielder Micah Johnson to Atlanta in exchange for cash or a PTBNL.
No, this was probably not the infielder acquisition you were expecting the Atlanta Braves to get. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.
The luster on Micah Johnson‘s star has risen and fallen on multiple occasions during his brief pro career. Designated for Assignment (off the Dodgers’ 40-man roster) earlier in the week, Johnson was snatched in the hope that his 2014-15 seasons in the minors are more indicative of his future talents and production than his cups of coffee in the majors showed.
Originally a White Sox draftee (2012, 8th round), Johnson is from Indianapolis and just turned 26 last month.
Not known as a glove man, Johnson hit for decent averages in the minors, most notably a .315/.375/.466/.841 clip in AAA for the White Sox in 2015. Dave O’Brien notes that he’d even played some in the outfield at AAA, so he might have a shot at that 4th outfield position as well.
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Rostering Posturing
At the moment, the Braves have to add Johnson to their 40-man roster. It remains to be seen whether than will ‘stick’, as the team still needs a 4th outfield as a minimum and perhaps… something else as well. In any case, two were made available in this week’s trade, and Johnson – will now occupy one of those.
The odd part about this deal is that while Johnson bats lefty, you might think that he fulfills the same kind of role that Chase d’Arnaud currently occupies… a speedy, modestly hitting utility infielder. That’s essentially true.
The reason may simply be that Coppy is taking a ‘flier’ on the younger Johnson (d’Arnaud turns 30 at the end of next week) hoping perhaps that his ‘upside’ might kick in and the Braves get something a bit more than he’s shown elsewhere.
If a 40-man slot is needed soon, then it is possible that he will be DFA’d by the Braves in an effort to retain him on a minors’ deal. If not… then there’s really no serious harm done.
So this may be puzzling, but it’s a chance at some depth, some upside, some protection, and a shot at a decent quality bench player if he impresses this Spring.