The Atlanta Braves fired manager Fredi Gonzalez on Tuesday, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The team has named Triple-A Gwinnett manager Brian Snitker as their interim manager, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. He is expected to remain in that position for the remainder of the season. Gonzalez had been mentioned to be on the hot seat for some time now though it appeared that the Braves' management may decide to give him more time before making a final decision. The 52-year-old Gonzalez had been serving as the Braves' manager since the 2011 season. In that time, he has led the team to success, as the Braves have gone 434-413 in six years under his leadership. They made the playoffs in both 2012 and 2013. In 2016, however, the Braves are rebuilding for the future. Even still, however, they have played some historically bad baseball, going 9-28 in their first 37 games. That's a 39-win pace over the course of an entire season. It likely isn't entirely Gonzalez's fault that the Braves have played so poorly this season. Many key players, including center fielder Ender Inciarte and left fielder Hector Olivera, have missed time due to injury or other personal problems. It can't help that offseason acquisition Erick Aybar is hitting for a .422 OPS, either. Regardless, Gonzalez is the casualty due to the Braves' bad play. Permanent replacement options are currently unknown, though former Padres manager Bud Black and Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo have been mentioned by some as speculative fits. --Devan Fink
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The Atlanta Braves announced the signing of right-handed starting pitcher Bud Norris to a one-year deal on Wednesday.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Norris will make $2.5 million next season. Norris, who will be 31 by Opening Day, had a down year in 2015. He went 3-11 with a 6.72 ERA in 38 appearances (11 starts) between the Orioles and Padres. He struck out 71 and walked 31 in his 83 innings pitched, good for a 5.04 FIP. Prior to last season, Norris had always been a reliable starting pitcher, spending time with the Astros along with the two aforementioned clubs. From 2011 to 2014, Norris posted a 4.06 ERA and 4.08 FIP over 696 1/3 innings coming over 120 appearances (118 starts). The Braves are counting on Norris to rebound in 2016, with the possibility that they could trade him at the trade deadline if he has a nice first half. This appears to be a low-risk, possibly high-reward signing for Atlanta. Regardless, Norris adds much-needed depth to the Braves rotation. He will slot in behind the likes of Shelby Miller, Julio Teheran, Matt Wisler, and Manny Banuelos next season. --Devan Fink
The Detroit Tigers announced the acquisition of outfielder Cameron Maybin from the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
In return, the Braves received left-handed pitchers Ian Krol and Gabe Speier. They also sent cash considerations to Detroit to pay for part of Maybin's $8 million salary in 2016. Maybin, 28, returns to the team that made him their 1st round pick in the 2005 draft. He was sent to the Marlins in the trade that got the Tigers Miguel Cabrera. He only played 24 games in a Detroit uniform in 2007, but returns after spending time with Miami, San Diego, and Atlanta. Maybin hit .262/.327/.370 with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs over 555 plate appearances last season. He stole 23 bases and was caught just six times. According to FanGraphs, he was worth 1.0 WAR. What role Maybin will play has yet to have been determined by Detroit. The right-handed hitting Maybin could platoon in center field with Anthony Gose, similar to how Rajai Davis did so last season. Maybin hit for a .711 OPS against left-handers last season and could fill in nicely there. The Braves receive two arms in return for Maybin, one of which could provide big league innings in 2016. Krol, 24, was part of the Tigers' main return in their trade of Doug Fister two offseasons ago, but owns a career 4.91 ERA in 88 innings in the big leagues. He has struggled to stay up in the Majors, but with Atlanta he should get ample opportunity to do so. Speier, 20, posted a 2.86 ERA in Class A West Michigan last year. He was drafted in the 19th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Red Sox and was traded to Detroit in the Rick Porcello deal. --Devan Fink The Los Angeles Angels have acquired shortstop Andrelton Simmons from the Atlanta Braves, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reported on Thursday. The Angels also received catcher Jose Briceno as part of the deal, as the teams announced. The Braves received quite a prospect haul in return for Simmons. They received left-hander Sean Newcomb and right-hander Christopher Ellis, the Angels' No. 1 and No. 2 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline's rankings. Atlanta also received big league shortstop Erick Aybar as part of the deal, as well as $2.5 million in cash. The past 24 hours have been quite a whirlwind in Simmons rumors. It started last night, with Jonah Keri reporting that the Braves were discussing a Simmons trade with an NL West club. Those rumors continued to develop throughout today, with the Mets, Angels, Dodgers, and Padres all being connected to the Braves and Simmons at some point. However, the main consensus amongst many around the league was that the Braves were just listening on Simmons up until this point. The Angels have made upgrading the middle infield a priority this offseason. While Simmons' bat is not nearly as good as his elite defense, he provides an all-around upgrade over Aybar at shortstop. They also get to have Simmons for a long time. Simmons is signed to an extremely team-friendly deal. The Angels will get five years of him for just $53 million, which would be an extreme discount if Simmons went on the free agent market today. His defense has made him one of the best shortstop in baseball. The 26-year-old Simmons hit .265/.321/.338 with four home runs and 44 RBIs over 583 plate appearances this past season. According to defensive metrics, he was worth 25 defensive runs saved and posted a 17.5 UZR/150 in 2015. Over his career, he has 113 defensive runs saved, which is most amongst baseball since he started playing. He was worth 3.2 fWAR this season. The Angels do not get this young and good player at this price for nothing. They traded their top two prospects to Atlanta, Sean Newcomb and Christopher Ellis, as well as a short-term shortstop replacement in Erick Aybar. Newcomb, a former first round pick, and Ellis, a former third round pick, both finished last season in Double-A. --Devan Fink The Atlanta Braves have brought back their veteran catcher for the 2016 season. The team has re-signed A.J. Pierzynski to a one-year deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Pierzynski will make $3 million in 2016, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports. Pierzynski's deal includes a $1 million signing bonus and a $2 million base salary, Rosenthal reports. Pierzynski's deal also includes another $1 million in possible incentives. Rosenthal notes that Pierzynksi turned down more money from other clubs to re-sign with Atlanta. He spends his Spring Training at his home in Orlando. The two-time All-Star Pierzynski had a nice season with the Braves in 2015, with his bat being the best it had been since the 2012 season. He joined the club on a one-year, $2 million deal last offseason and played well enough to warrant a second season. The Braves have had plenty of issues in finding a replacement long-term at catcher, which has kept Pierzynzki in the starting job. Twenty-four-year-old catching prospect Christian Bethancourt has not developed like the team had hoped and the club's overall organizational catching depth has been thin. Pierzynski, 39 in December, hit .300/.339/.430 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs over 436 plate appearances last season. According to FanGraphs, he was worth 2.1 Wins Above Replacement last season and posted a 112 weighted runs created plus (wRC+). --Devan Fink |
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