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The Atlanta Braves have been one of the busier teams to open the MLB offseason, swinging several trades to beef up their roster depth so far. Now, they are starting to take to the free agent market in an effort to add to their roster, and they recently made an interesting signing, although it's not one that will likely catch many folks attention.
You can never have enough pitching in the MLB, which explains why Atlanta decided to take a flier on Taylor Widener in free agency. Widener spent time with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB for three seasons before pitching in Korea last season, and the Braves believed that it was worth seeing if Widener could find a way to carve out a role with the team, as they signed him to a minor-league deal.
“The Atlanta Braves have signed former major league pitcher Taylor Widener to a minor-league deal, sources tell Braves Today. Terms of the deal were not immediately available. Widener, a 12th-round selection of the New York Yankees in 2016 out of the University of South Carolina, will begin the season in AAA Gwinnett.” – Lindsay Crosby, Sports Illustrated
Braves keep on making moves this offseason
The Braves have been taking this quiet offseason by the horns, and they aren't going to stop anytime soon it seems. Widener was decent in Korea last year (7-5, 4.54 ERA, 99 K, 1.32 WHIP), and his ability to eat innings as a starter or out of the bullpen is something that could have appealed to Atlanta here. Expectations aren't high, but you never know when a pitcher can figure things out in the game of baseball.
Widener has a career 4.26 ERA in the majors, and he could end up being a solid bullpen arm for the Braves if everything goes his way. Again, expectations aren't high, and the Braves already have a lot of talented arms and are clearly looking to keep on adding to their team this offseason. This is a low-risk, high-reward move for Atlanta, and it seems like only a matter of time until they make news with their next move this offseason.
