Twins Claims Braves Utility Man off Waivers

The fate of a recently DFA'd Atlanta Braves utility man has been decided. The Minnesota Twins announced Wednesday afternoon that they had claimed Vidal Bruján off waivers. Despite being signed to a split contract in November, the Braves put him on waivers to make room for a pitcher, left-hander Ken Waldichuk.

Coincidentally, this pitcher isn't even with the organization anymore, either. A few days later, he was traded to the Rays along with infielder Brett Wisely. So, Bruján, among others, all ended up out of Atlanta.

He'll head to the Twins organization after a short time with Atlanta. He was claimed off waivers from the Orioles in mid-September.

In 23 games with the Braves, he got on base at a respectable clip, batting .268 with a .362 on-base percentage. He didn’t provide much power, mustering just two extra-base hits, both of which were doubles. 

The split-contract he was on allowed the Braves to make this kind of move without having to worry as much about salary. That being said, this felt like a move that would have occurred near the end of Spring Training as opposed to now. Recent moves, arguably, made this move easier to do sooner rather than later.

Newer additions took what could have been his place on the roster. Mike Yastrzemski is joining an outfield that already had four options. Mauricio Dubon can move around the infield, and Ha-Seong Kim re-signing with the team moved him from potentially being the starting shortstop to a platoon option.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. also remains an option who can move around the infield to where he is needed. He can play three infield positions that aren't first base. Matt Olson has that on lock. and if someone were to jump in, it would likely be Eli White.

Wisely met a similar fate to Bruján for similar reasons. In the end, there really wasn't a place for him on the roster anymore. For that reasons, two options for the infield are out the door.

The Braves roster has continued to take shape as the offseason marches on. Recently, they re-signed Tyler Kinely to a one-year deal with a club option. He strengthens the bullpen that much further.

A major piece left on their to-do list is acquiring a starting pitcher. There are names that have been floated around, but nothing is guaranteed until they lock someone down.

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