3 Braves good as gone after option decisions and who will replace them
By Mark Powell
Brad Hand's release was a long time coming for the Braves
Atlanta acquired Brad Hand, a former closer in his own right, to help solidify the back end of their bullpen. The only problem was that Hand struggled mightily against right-handed hitters (so the vast majority) which ballooned his ERA over the course of the season. Hand can potentially find a new home somewhere, but he'll need to work on his release point and windup in hopes of increasing his success against righties. Chase Owens of The House That Hank Built outlined Hand's struggles in the ATL:
"Once he arrived in Atlanta, Hand pitched 18 innings to a 7.50 ERA and 4.03 FIP. Despite his poor performance, Hand showed enough flashes late to warrant Atlanta carrying him on the NLDS roster for the sole purpose of getting the Phillies heavy-hitting lefties out...His splits between LHB and RHB are enough to warrant some MLB teams finding a role for him. Against right-handed hitters in 2023, Hand allowed a .317/.386/.575 slash line. Against left-handed batters, Hand allowed a .200/.297/.288 slash line."
Hand wasn't the answer the Braves thought he could be, but Joe Jimenez is. Atlanta re-signed Jimenez, a hard-throwing reliever they acquired from Detroit prior to last season. Despite a rocky start, Jimenez eventually settled in and can be relied upon in the back end of the bullpen. Yes, Alex Anthopoulos still has some work to do for this 'pen to be considered a strength, but keeping Jimenez and Johnson signed through next season and beyond should only help matters.