Atlanta Braves Sign Emilio Bonifacio To A Major League Contact…What? Why?

Hours after making a huge splash trade at the Winter Meetings, the Atlanta Braves made another move to bolster their…utility?

The deal with Bonifacio is a one-year $1.25 million as he’ll serve as another utility guy for the Braves.

Bonifacio posted an awful 2015 slash line.167/.198/.192 in 82 plate appearances for the White Sox.  The very versatile ball player can play a steady defense at just about any position on the diamond.

The 30-year-old played for the Braves for part of the season in 2014.  He was traded by the Chicago Cubs with James Russell at the trade deadline for catcher Victor Caratini.  Bonifacio mostly played center field for the Braves, but probably won’t play there in 2016.

I can see Bonifacio bringing a competitive battle to the second base position to Spring Training.  Before this signing, Jace Peterson and Gordon Beckham were the likely candidates for the job and backup job.

The good part about Bonifacio is that he can play second base, third base, shortstop and all three positions in the outfield.  Another bright spot about him is that he’s a switch hitter, which brings a right-handed bat to the lineup when we’re facing lefties.

Pros of the signing

Switch hitter who has a career batting average of .286 against LHP and .248 against RHP

Speed on the base paths and defensively

Veteran leadership

Can play six out of the nine positions on the field

Knows the organization and coaching staff

Cons of the signing

Caught stealing four out of five times in 2015

Struggled at the plate the past year and a half…badly

Takes away playing time for younger guys to gain experience on the field

He will take a spot on the 40-man roster

He will join the list of low-cost veteran ball players that the Braves have brought in.  A.J. Pierzynski, Bud Norris, Jim Johnson, Tyler Flowers and Beckham.  Pierzynski, Flowers, Beckham and Bonifacio all have ties with the Chicago White Sox…which is a running joke currently on twitter.  Another random stat is that he was originally signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 as an amateur free agent.

Bonifacio has a career slash line of .259/.316/.337.