Hard Truth: Braves Offseason Bullpen Targets Weren't Answers

The Atlanta Braves missed the mark when not addressing holes in the bullpen over the offseason, but let's be honest about certain targets

That's stats show that the Braves would have a lot of the same issues | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves bullpen has been struggling to plug its holes all season. The last week especially has seen move after move. It's a sure sign that something could have been done in the offseason to prepare for this.

For that reason, Atlanta Braves on SI decided to check in on some of the relievers the Braves reportedly looked into, were expected to target or former players who departed for other teams over the offseason. When looking at the numbers, they aren't looking like the answers many fans are hoping they would have been. Maybe things would be going differently if they were in the Braves bullpen instead of elsewhere, but this is how they're doing with the current teams.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jeff Hoffman reportedly had a deal in place with the Braves but the team pulled the plug on it after a failed physical. At first, the Braves looked foolish to pass on him. He had a 1.10 ERA in his first 14 appearances, giving the Blue Jays multiple long relief outings. Since then, he's imploded with an 11.68 ERA in the following 15 outings. If he was contributing to the bullpen struggles right now, people would be pointing to the failed physical with the Orioles right now and how signing him was a bad idea.

Left-hander Tanner Scott was a highly coveted arm on the market. Braves Country was praying he'd get added to the team. Instead, he inked a deal with the Dodgers. His first year in Los Angeles can be described as a seesaw. Overall, he has a 4.25 ERA in 31 games pitched. Most of his outings are what you would hope to get out of him, but the ones that have gone wrong have been brutal.

AJ Minter was a key loss to the Braves bullpen over the offseason, and seeing him go to the Mets stung a bit. In his 11 appearances this season, he had a 1.64 ERA. This one had the best chance to come back and bite the Braves. However, he sustained a season-ending injury (left lat muscle surgery). He missed time last season, including the final month of the season, so it's unfortuantely not a surprise.

The big takeaway from these examples is that while the Braves deserve flack for not addressing more holes in the offseason, who they get in the offseason isn't a guaranteed solution. They could be having more of the same issues for different reasons.