Atlanta Braves reportedly close to a contract with free agent pitcher Gavin Floyd

The starting pitching market in Major League Baseball is flooded with teams needing help and simply not enough in the way of quality, healthy arms. With that, the Atlanta Braves are reportedly reaching into the barrel (so to speak) to grab a recovering arm with some past success on his resume.

The chief reason that Floyd is available on what could be a minor league deal (per multiple reports) is that he is still very much in recovery from arm trouble. Floyd, who is soon to be 31 years old, underwent Tommy John surgery in May, and as a result of that, he likely won’t be available until well after the start of the 2014 season.

Still, he does provide some positives if the Braves can lock him down for little to no cost. Floyd is a documented “innings eater”, having made 29+ starts in 5 straight seasons prior to 2013, and he’s sustained a reasonable level of success. For his career, Floyd has a modest 4.48 ERA in 1,151 innings, but the big right-hander does have three separate seasons with 3.4 fWAR-or-better on his list of achievements.

The Braves have been rumored to be seeking a veteran option to pair with their stable of young arms (Kris Medlen, Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, etc.), and if Floyd is that guy, they’ll be crossing their fingers on his health.