The Braves bolstered their bullpen on Sunday with the acquisition of reliever Brad Brach from the Orioles in exchange for $250,000 of international signing bonus slot money.
Brach, who is set to enter free agency at the end of the season, posted a 1-2 record and a 4.85 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 39 innings and 42 appearances out of the Orioles' bullpen in 2018. He is two years removed from a 2016 All-Star campaign, during which he registered a career-best 2.05 ERA over 71 games.
"We needed to add some bullpen [help]. We talked about Brach for a while," Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "Look, he's not having the year he has had in the past. We think there is some upside there. There has been some bad luck. If you look at batting average on balls in play, things like that are a little high.
"No guarantees or assurances, but we think there is some upside based on his success and his track record, what he has done."
The acquisition marked Atlanta's second addition to its bullpen in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's non-waiver Trade Deadline. The Braves previously acquired southpaw Jonny Venters from Tampa Bay on Thursday in exchange for international slot money.
Brach represents the third major trade asset dealt by the Orioles, who have committed to selling with the trades of Manny Machado to the Dodgers and Zach Britton to the Yankees.
"The fact that he has pitched late innings and he's done it, he's a great clubhouse guy," Anthopoulos said. "Those are things that are a plus for us."