I truly have no idea how Alex Anthopoulos does it. Of the 30 teams in the MLB, the Braves are the only team that announcers their own signings/trades. Normally, there’s a leak that gets to Jeff Passan, Robert Murray, Ken Rosenthal, or once in a blue moon, Jon Heyman. However, none of those ever come from the Braves. And while it’s not an MLB transaction, the Braves did sign 2 guys, Justus Sheffield and Chad Pinder, to MiLB deals and were barely covered by the mass media.

Braves Sign Chad Pinder to MiLB Deal

On 5/9, the Braves signed utility infielder Chad Pinder to a MiLB deal. Pinder has served as a super-utility man and has logged innings at every single position except catcher. He’s mostly been utilized in the outfield corners and all infield spots (2B the most) and carries a strong .778 career OPS against LHP. I’ve a feeling that Pinder is a safety net for Ehire Adrianza, who could very well be DFA’d at some point this year, due to roster crunch issues.

Chad Pinder will be reporting to Gwinnett as soon as his paperwork clears and this will continue the trend the Braves have adapted these past few years of stocking solid veterans at their AAA level.

Braves Sign Justus Sheffield MiLB Deal

While Robert Murray was actually on the Chad Pinder news, NO ONE was on the Justus Sheffield news that was buried down the Braves own transactions page. i just so happened to be scrolling last night and “announced” it to MLBTR…and no credit was given.

Sheffield was drafted by the Cleveland Indians right out of high school as the 31st overall pic in the 2014 draft. His rise to stardom happened nearly right out the gate:

  • 2015, Low A: 127.2 IP, 3.31 ERA
  • 2016, A+, AA: 125.1 IP, 3.09 ERA
  • 2017: AA: 98.1 IP, 3.12 ERA
  • Arizona Fall League: 20.1 IP, 3.10 ERA
  • 2018: AA & AAA: 116 IP, 2.48 ERA

The Yankees promoted him in 2018, but not as a starter and in the smallest of samples, it went poorly. That offseason, he was traded (with others) to the Mariners in exchange for James Paxton. His time with the Mariners was filled with ups and downs, both in performance and in levels. Before this season, Sheffield was outrighted off the 40-man. While I don’t know if he was just unmotivated or was just not good, his 2023 AAA results were disastrous and the Mariners finally cut him on April 28th. 6 days later, the Braves signed him to 0 applause…and that’s just how Anthopoulos would’ve wanted it.

Sheffield has reported to the Braves FCL (Florida Complex League), where I’m guessing it’ll be a bit before he sees in-game action. The Braves will likely try to figure out what’s went wrong with Sheffield’s arsenal and “fix” him before sending him to one of their affiliates.

Discuss this piece and others by joining our bar below!