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Braves fan, start by breathing a sigh of relief.
The New York Mets designated pitcher Carlos Torres for assignment.
Why is that a big deal? Because that guy owns the Braves.
The journeyman reliever has pitched more innings (40.1) against Atlanta than any other team in his career. His 1.34 ERA is also the lowest total against teams he has faced more than five times. Simply put, those 22 appearances against the Braves are a large portion of his success in the majors.
Torres was DFA'ed to make room for new signing Antonio Bastardo, who the Braves have plenty of experience with. He's tough on lefties, but Atlanta has actually done a solid job against him over his years in Philadelphia.
In much more important Mets news, though, is the supposed signing of Yoenis Cespedes. A new report comes out seemingly every day, but he decided on the Mets over the Washington Nationals. New York was able to sell Cespedes on a shorter deal, three years with an opt-out after a single season.
It was rumored that Cespedes prefered to stay with the Mets, and who wouldn't when the other choice is Washington? I mean, what player would want to live in fear that his closer is going to try choke slam him, or that his team will be perpetually hyped as world champs before falling apart and significantly underachieving?
And in case you ever wondered, the Talking Chop team is always at the top of its game.
From early afternoon on Friday:
Bet you guys a nickel at some point there's a #mysteryteam late in the Cespedes bidding and it's the Braves to jack up the price for NYM/WAS
— Scott Coleman (@scottcoleman55) January 22, 2016
Six hours later, Scott's prediction came true before our very eyes.
there are more than just the mets and nats in on cespedes. #mystry teams
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 23, 2016
We all owe Scott a nickel.
Anyways, the Marlins are moving in the fences, supposedly to ensure that their pitchers give up more big flies in the future. Too bad they can't move the sculpture in center field.
The Fish are also looking for another starting pitcher, and names like Doug Fister, Alfredo Simon, Tim Lincecum, and Kyle Lohse are being thrown around.
Things still seem to be going great in Philadelphia. First it was Ryan Howard vs. a piece of plywood. Now, manager Pete Mackanin sets the bar high (he thinks they can go .500) in an impromtu Twitter chat.
To conclude with some somber news, it appears that the DH could be corrupting the National League in the coming years. Commissioner Rob Manfred thinks some NL teams would be more receptive to the designated hitter than in years past, but chief of baseball operations Joe Torre says the topic has not been broached.
We'll see.