Braves bolster bullpen by bringing back Shane Greene

The Braves and Shane Greene were circling each other for months. Now, they’re in agreement on a new contract.

The details of said deal have yet to be announced, but Greene and the Braves were reportedly far off on a contract as recently as a few weeks ago. Atlanta had been rolling with Will Smith in the back end of their bullpen, and despite his seven saves and 2.57 ERA, the Braves see no reason not to add even more depth.

Greene has experience both as a closer and setup man. Just last season, he had a 2.60 ERA in 28 games pitched in front of Mark Melancon. While Melancon has since departed for San Diego via free agency, Greene struggled to find a new home based on his asking price. That can be linked to an obvious decrease in pitch velocity, though the Braves believe he still has plenty left in the tank as a setup man.

What does Shane Greene bring to the Atlanta Braves bullpen?

Greene was drawing interest around the league, including the likes of the Dodgers, at one point. But the Braves always seemed like the logical home, as a slow start has applied pressure to Alex Anthopoulos to make some incremental improvements to a team that was just one win away from the World Series in 2020.

One game under .500, the Braves remain just 1.5 games out of first place in the NL East, and even shared that title at one point so far this season. For now, they’re lucky to be so close behind the New York Mets, and to have star outfielder Ronald Acuña healthy after his scary HBP on Saturday night.

Greene adds another capable veteran arm to the back end, and once he’s fulled tuned up, provides a nice 1-2 punch with Smith.