Bridging the Gap: How Alex Anthoupolous constructed the Braves Bullpen for October

2019 Trade Deadline

The 2019 trade deadline is probably when AA made the most additions to the current bullpen. I’ll do these in order of significance. First, he dealt away Joey Wentz and Travis Demeritte to Detroit in exchange for Shane Greene, the then closer for the Tigers.

Greene had been an All-Star that season, but underperformed in his 2019 debut with Atlanta. However, this season he has posted a solid 2.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 27.2 innings pitched.

Next, AA took a trip down to Texas and aquired Chris Martin for Kolby Allard, who admittedly I had not heard of prior to the trade. He was amazing down the stretch in 2019, and sadly had an oblique issue in the playoffs that many saw as a turning point in the unfortunate NLDS with the Cardinals.

This year, Martin has been one of the team’s best relievers, with a 1.00 ERA, 0.611 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 18 innings.

In a move many panned due to his high salary, AA traded for Mark Melancon from the San Fransico Giants, in exchange for Tristan Beck and Daniel Winker. As the low cost suggested, this was a salary dump for the Giants, getting rid of the rest of Melancon’s 4 year, $62 million deal he signed before the 2017 season.

Melancon did not pitch very well for the Braves in 2019, but his 2020 showing has been much more encouraging. A 2.78 ERA and 1.279 WHIP are pretty solid numbers for a closer, although his 14 Ks in 22.2 innings could certainly improve. All of these guys are key pieces to this pen, and were picked up for relatively low cost.