Braves: Shane Greene Is the Ideal Last Piece to Bullpen Puzzle

With the bullpen situation in question for the Braves, it is imperative that a move be made and Shane Greene could be the best fit. 

As Spring Training 2021 nears closer and closer, the Atlanta Braves have made minor acquisitions when it comes to the bullpen with minor league contracts being given to Carl Edwards Jr. and Nate Jones.

But there’s still a familiar name out there in the free agent pool that I believe the Braves desperately need: Shane Greene.

As the offseason progressed, it seemed as if the Braves were continuing to wait out on signing both Greene and Mark Melancon with the possibility of testing their contract demands. But as the waiting continued, Melancon was grabbed by the San Diego Padres this past week.

While there are other options out there on the market, I believe that Greene is the best fit. Greene has the familiarity with the club, but also has bounced back in a big way from his performance with the team in 2019.

In 2019, Greene posted a 4.01 ERA, a FIP of 3.94, and a WHIP of 1.216 in 24.2 IP. It was a bit of a struggle after being traded to the Braves mid-season as he eventually lost the closing role to Melancon and never really gained it back.

In 2020, Greene was given a set-up man role. Greene posted a 2.60 ERA, a FIP of 3.81, and a WHIP of 1.120 in 27.2 IP. While some of his 2020 numbers seem relatively similar to his 2019 numbers, it seemed as if Greene was a lot more in control of his stuff and was a definite presence on the mound.

Experiencing the Greene-Melancon combo this past season was great and throwing Chris Martin into the mix made it even better. Now that Melancon is gone, that part of the puzzle needs to be filled and I believe a Martin-Greene combo could be just as effective while possibly throwing Will Smith into the mix.

As of now (going off of last season’s performances), I would trust Greene a lot more as a closer than Smith. Although, Smith may have been affected by “first year jitters” combined with the lack of a true training period.

The possibility of bringing Greene back is right there for the taking and makes too much sense (at least from a non-financial point of view).

It has been made perfectly clear that the Braves are operating on a strict budget and it will all depend on what Greene wants in terms of money and years compared to what the Braves will be willing to work with.

It also does not help that Smith was given a 3yr/$40M deal before the 2020 season, which could affect a potential Greene deal.

We shall see how that pans out…

If Anthopoulos can somehow work his magic on a deal with Greene, then so be it. But whatever needs to be done, do it! The bullpen needs help and Greene’s familiarity could go a long way to fortifying that relief group.

Greene has earned his stripes with the Braves and if brought back, he could be the missing piece to the puzzle as he ideally fits in that closer role.