More teams are fading out of contention, expanding the list of potential trade partners.
We've had an ongoing discussion of situational relievers that the Braves might consider: Alex Claudio, Luis Avilan, Aaron Loup, Jerry Blevins, Jake Diekman.
This list consists of guys on selling teams who are situational lefties. They have conventional splits (unlike Sam Freeman and Jesse Biddle). There is nothing wrong with having reverse splits like Freeman and Biddle. But with two guys like that, our pen has a need for someone who can come during the middle innings and get one or two lefty hitters out in a high leverage situation. The bang for the buck for this kind of acquisition is likely to be high. We are not looking for someone to pitch the 8th or 9th inning here. The acquisition price for that kind of reliever is much higher.
With teams like the Twins, Angels and Pirates falling out of contention, the list of candidates grows.
The Twins have two very good lefty relievers we should be asking about: Zach Duke and Taylor Rogers. Duke is a veteran who would be a one-year rental. Rogers would have several years of control beyond this year. He's been lights out and would be pretty expensive to pick up.
The Angels have Jose Alvarez, a reliable middle inning type who fits what we are looking for pretty well.
The Pirates have a Felipe Vazquez, their closer. He would simply cost too much. Their other lefty relievers are not good enough.
With these additions the list of situational lefties to choose from looks like this: Duke (Twins), Rogers (Twins), Alvarez (Angels), Claudio (Rangers), Avilan (White Sox), Loup (Blue Jays), Blevins (Mets), Diekman (Rangers).
Some are better than others. Some come with additional years of control. But we have some pretty good choices and should be able to get one without having to pay much of a premium.
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