Braves sign Josh Collmenter to one-year deal

After latching on with the Braves in September, the pitcher known as “Tomahawk” will be wearing a Tomahawk across his chest for a little bit longer as the Braves have agreed to a one-year deal with Josh Collmenter. David O’Brien of the AJC was the first to report the news.

The Braves were Collmenter’s third different organization of the 2016 season. He started it as part of the Diamondbacks bullpen (just one year after being their Opening Day Starter), but Arizona let him go in August and the Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal shortly after that. He never appeared at the major league level for the Cubs, and he eventually found himself in Atlanta after the Braves essentially bought him from the eventual World Series Champs.

Through it all, Collmenter finished 2016 with a 3.70 ERA and 5.13 FIP over 18 appearances. 15 of those appearances were as a reliever with the Diamondbacks, but he actually pitched pretty well during his three starts with Atlanta. He had a 2.37 ERA and a 4.46 FIP over the 19 innings he threw as a Brave in September, and his K/9 and BB/9 over that span were somewhat consistent with the numbers he put up during his time as a starter for the D-Backs.

I wouldn’t expect those going forward, but if they do hold up then the Braves could have a decent starter on their hands as they head into next season. The battle for the final rotation spot will probably be very fierce, and Collmenter will definitely be in the mix during spring training.