*This is purely speculative. I have no inside sources, but do have common sense*

On March 30th, the Braves claimed Richard Lovelady for the player named Cash, who’s been traded for more than any other human in existence (oddly, he’s never step foot on a diamond and has no B-Ref page). Lovelady (don’t even think about what his name would be if he used the “short for Richard” nickname) was sold to Braves fans as a pitcher who’d recovered from TJ surgery and could be a future bullpen piece. He was sent to AAA and had lackluster results, but the sample was small. Oddly enough, he was secretively DFA’d then claimed by the Athletics. But the question is why? Anthopoulos has spoken very often about the value of having a full 40-man roster and when he presses the DFA button, there’s almost always a reason, whether it be player activation, a trade, or another claim. None of those happened, which piqued my interest.

What Ya Playing at, Thoppy?

So. the Braves 40-man has now become 39 and I think I know why. The Braves have an option problem in their bullpen. I’m sure that option problem is eating at AA. Of the current group in the bullpen, only Danny Young, Dylan Lee, and Nick Anderson have options. Danny Young will no doubt be optioned when the Braves go back to 5 starters and activate Max Fried, or when Collin McHugh comes off of the IL. That would leave only 2 that have options, but I cannot foresee either Lee or Anderson being optioned to AAA, at least for now. However, I would wager good $ that AA fills that 40-man spot soon and I’d also wager that it’ll be an internal move.

Get to know Yacksel Rios Quickly

If you don’t know much about him, it might be time for you all to put eyes on Yacksel Rios has an average FB velocity of 97.2, but can hit 100. He’s been around pro ball since he was 18, but has only collected 89.2 innings in the bigs. At 30 years of age, it’s odd timing to be breaking out, but he attracted a lot of eyes in the World Baseball Classic. Starting in 2020, Rios saw a big jump in his K/9 numbers, putting up 11.4/9 for Boston’s AAA affiliate. This year, in a 5 inning sample, he’s struck out 9 and only walked 1. Word is he looks electric.

So…my prediction? AA doesn’t open roster spots for no reason and, if he stays internally, I think Rios will be the next addition.