Rumor: Atlanta Braves interested in Joe Biagini

With the trade deadline two days away, deals have already been done. The Atlanta Braves have been linked to a number of players, and recently, reports have come out that the Bravos are interested in a Blue Jays reliever that’s not Ken Giles.

That’s not to say we won’t get Ken Giles, too, but Joe Biagini was linked to the Atlanta Braves by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required.)

Biagini represents what would be a low-cost addition to the Atlanta Braves bullpen.

He’s had mixed results over his four years in the majors, but has an interesting repertoire of pitches as he typically throws a  sinker that ranges in the mid-90s and a cutter that rests in the upper 80s. He also possesses a change-up, a four seam fastball and a curveball.

I see a meme coming from somewhere in Braves Country about Biagini and his bag of tricks. He’d be wearing a magic hat. There might be a rabbit involved — all of that.

Statistically, Biagini’s numbers don’t pop off the page. This year he’s got a 3.75 ERA, mostly contributed to the fact that he’s been prone to the long ball over his career when things aren’t going well.

However, his teams are presently batting .259 against him, which matches his career-high set as a rookie in 2016, and his WHIP sits at 1.33, just a sliver above 1.30, which aligns with his rookie numbers.

Biagini was a starter in the minor leagues with the San Francisco Giants, but that experiment didn’t go so well when the Blue Jays tried it.

Forty-eight percent of earned runs against Biagini this season have come via the home run ball and he’s allowed 1.5 homers per nine innings, slightly above an inflated league average of 1.4 HR/9, thanks to the ‘juiced ball.’

By all accounts, if he stays away from the gopher ball, he could be a strong addition to the Atlanta Braves bullpen.

Team control is a definite strength of Biagini’s as he’s locked up through arbitration for three seasons.

However, his average to slightly above average performance numbers indicate that the Atlanta Braves could land him at a low cost.

A low-level prospect should get it done, or maybe a couple of depth pieces with upside outside of any prospect list.

For sure, Biagini would be a bargain piece, along the lines of the pitchers I discussed as possibilities earlier — maybe even more so.

An argument could be made that Biagini isn’t a significant upgrade, though he may be more effective than say, Wes Parsons coming back up, or a struggling version of A.J. Minter or Chad Sobotka if they were to slip for an extended period of time.

The wheels are spinning. Just like Alex Anthopoulos said in his interview during the Kansas City series, things are happening, and quickly. Two more days.