Atlanta Braves: 3 players who won’t be on the roster July 1

Atlanta Braves rumors: Will Jacob Webb survive June?

It may seem obvious that the Atlanta Braves may option Jacob Webb since they picked him up in what seemed to be a response to Colin McHugh going on the injured list.

He does have a minor league option left, so he can always be called back up later if the Braves choose to go that route. What may not be obvious, especially when talking about a DFA candidate, is that Webb has actually been well above average in his career.

For his career, Webb has an ERA+ of 185, which is 85% better than league average. As we know, ERA itself is not the only thing that should be looked at in a pitcher, but it should be noted that according to Statcast, he has never had an expected ERA above 3.95.

With the way he has pitched, it’s a bit surprising that the Diamondbacks traded Webb to the Braves for just cash considerations when he was only due to make the pro-rated amount of the league minimum.

There is no doubt that Colin McHugh is going to have his roster spot back when he returns from the IL. Factoring in that the pitcher limit is going to be reduced to 13, Webb may find himself playing for the Stripers (Braves’ AAA affiliate) by the end of June.

Fortunately for the Braves, a demotion of Webb would be due to an extremely solid bullpen rather than a tremendously underperforming Webb. It’s simply a case of there not being enough room and Webb being the lowest man on the list.

Because Webb has an option remaining, it makes sense to use it.