In a move that puts the Braves one step closer to the final 26 man roster, the Braves inked known pest Luis Guillorme to a 1 year/$1.1MM deal. Not a particularly good player, but Guillorme can play adequate defense at all infield positions and, as Alex said, can be a downright pest in the batter’s box. Guillorme is likely the break glass in case of emergency 26th man and another fellow Venezuelan for Ronald Acuna Jr.

The Braves also avoided arbitration with Huascar Ynoa, signing him to a 1 year/$825K deal. Ynoa had Tommy John surgery in September of 2022 and will be 17 months removed from surgery when pitchers report to spring training. He should factor in to the bullpen at some point, but he does have an option so it’s likely the Braves slow play him back to the bigs, role determined at a later time.

Tyler Matzek Update

Like Ynoa, Tyler Matzek is also recovering from a Tommy John surgery. He had surgery on October 12, 2022. Unless he needs more time, Matzek is out of options so he should factor into the Braves plans for Opening Day.

In House Option for Last Roster Spot

The Atlanta Braves 40-man roster is 24 deep in pitching and only 12 deep in position players. With Guillorme signed, the Braves are one RHH OFer/UT player away from finishing the active roster. While it seems likely that the Braves fill this hole externally, there is one option on the Braves farm.

The Braves signed Leury Garcia to an MiLB deal. Garcia is a switch hitter and versatile defender that can play 6 positions. He just so happens to hit LHP better than RHP.