*Photo from the Atlanta Journal Constitution*
Facing issues in the bullpen, the Atlanta Braves turned to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves have acquired RHP Richard Rodriguez from the Pirates in exchange for RHP's Bryse Wilson and Ricky Devito, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The deal has been confirmed by both teams.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos said of landing Rodriguez that "He’s just another bullpen arm we can add to our depth. There's certain days we have guys that just aren’t available. So, having more quality arms, and having that depth is pretty important."
This season for the Pirates, Rodriguez is having a stellar year, pitching to a 4-2 record with a 2.82 ERA, saving 14 games in 37 relief appearances for the Pirates, totaling 38 1/3 innings pitched, striking out 33 batters. In the 5 major league seasons Rodriguez has under his belt, he has a 15-12 record with a 3.30 ERA, with 19 saves in 201 relief appearances.
Rodriguez was one of the most popular deadline targets, thanks to his good season in the Pirates bullpen, plus the fact that he will be under team control until the end of the 2024 season. He also had a good season last year, posting a 3-2 record with a 2.70 ERA, saving 4 games in 24 games out of the bullpen.
Anthopoulos said of the Braves season long struggles that "We've had our challenges, that's probably a nice way to say it. But at the same time, every club has. The one fortunate thing for all of us in the NL East is that we're playing in the NL East in 2021."
The main return piece for the Pirates is Wilson, who has spent most of his major league career going back and forth between the majors and Triple A Gwinnett. In 7 starts this season, Wilson has thrown 31 2/3 innings, with a 2-3 record and a 4.83 ERA so far. In parts of 4 seasons with the Braves, Wilson has a 5-4 record and a 5.45 ERA, with 74 1/3 innings pitched in 22 games, 14 of which were starts.
The other piece is Devito, who has spent this season at High A Rome in the Braves system. At that level, Devito has a 0-3 record with a 2.66 ERA, striking out 27 hitters in 20 1/3 innings pitched, starting 5 games so far.
For the Braves, Rodriguez's acquisition caps off a busy deadline, also acquiring OF Eddie Rosario from the Cleveland Indians, and OF Adam Duvall from the Miami Marlins.
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