Fansided

Five free agent targets to complete a perfect offseason for the Atlanta Braves

By Joshua Sadlock

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Atlanta Braves follows the play against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on September 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Atlanta Braves follows the play against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on September 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 01: Drew Pomeranz #15 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws in pitch against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning the National League Wild Card game at Nationals Park on October 01, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 01: Drew Pomeranz #15 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws in pitch against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning the National League Wild Card game at Nationals Park on October 01, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

3. Drew Pomeranz

Left-hander Drew Pomeranz is one of the most surprising additions to the upper echelon of MLB free agents this winter.

The 31-year-old left-hander made a successful transition to the bullpen in the second half of 2019 and was nearly unhittable in his two months with the Brewers. Prior to the trade, Pomeranz had been pitching as a starter for the Giants and was 2-9 with a 5.68 ERA in 77.2 innings and had allowed 89 hits.

By making the switch to the bullpen, Pomeranz may have saved his career and earned himself a solid multi-year deal. He was unable to build on his successful run as a starter in 2016 and 2017 and had a disastrous 2018 and start to 2019. Pomeranz was 28-18 with a 3.32 ERA and made an All-Star team before going 2-6 with a 6.08 ERA and losing his job in the Boston rotation.

For his career, Pomeranz is 41-52 with a 4.25 ERA in 140 games as a starting pitcher. He has a 2.72 ERA in 115.2 career innings as a reliever and has shown an ability to dominate for more than one inning at a time. Pomeranz struck out 45 in 26.1 innings for the Brewers and pitched two scoreless innings in their loss to the Nationals in the Wild Card Game.

Pomeranz showed signs of being able to make an Andrew Miller-esque leap to shutdown reliever, but his value on the open market is still up in the air. With former teammate Will Smith signing on for $40 million over three years, Pomeranz may be able to command $25 million on a three-year contract. There’s no shortage of contenders who will be interested, but the Braves have to add at least one more shutdown reliever to bridge the gap to Smith in the ninth inning.

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