Another Pitcher Bound for Atlanta Braves on MiLB Deal

The Atlanta Braves added an arm without much fanfare. According to his transaction page, Elieser Hernández was signed to a minor league contract back in November. It isn't known if he has been invited to Spring Training, but it can be presumed.

Hernández hasn't pitched in the major leagues since the 2024 season, which was split between the Dodgers and the Brewers. Last season, he made 14 starts over in the KBO with the LG Twins. During that time, he pitched to a 4.23 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.

In August, he joined the Blue Jays system to poor results. He had a 7.91 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in four starts with Triple-A Buffalo.

Throughout his professional career, home runs have been a killer for him. His career HR/9 is 2.2, with the lowest rate in a season being 1.5 back in 2018. The Braves, for what it's worth, will have an option in the system, assuming he sticks around during the regular season, in case they need an option with major league experience.

Since this move, the Braves have been plenty busy with larger additions. They've added Robert Suarez to the bullpen, while also adding Mike Yastrzemski for depth in the lineup and re-signing Ha-Seong Kim to man the shortstop position.

On Friday night, they signed Ian Hamilton to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. He is expected to be on the 40-man roster, but his roster status before and after Spring Training (i.e., if he makes the big league or potentially gets cut) will determine his compensation.

While an option for the rotation like Hernández is in the system, the Braves are still aiming to for a bigger splash. Some of their top options, such as Sonny Gray on the trade market, as well as Michael King and Dylan Cease in free agents are off the board. However, one of their free-agent targets, Framber Valdez, is still out there, among other high-quality free-agent options.

If they can't land one of those, there is a chance they pivot to a trade to acquire depth, such as going after Freddy Peralta from the Brewers.

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