By Jordan Long
The Atlanta Braves went 97-65 this past season, reaching the National League Division Series before falling to the St. Louis Cardinals in 5 games. They hope to make a deeper run in 2020. Atlanta decided to keep reliever Chris Martin for 2 more years who they hope will help them reach that goal. His contract will be worth $14 million.
The Braves acquired Martin on July 30th from the Texas Rangers. At the time, the Braves knew in order to make a postseason push, the late innings were going to be key. Martin’s job was to keep games close for Atlanta to have a chance to be ahead or tied in the 7th innings or later.
Martin didn’t have a lot of work in the regular season in a Braves’ uniform. He pitched 17.2 innings. It was a mixed bag. He was able to strike batters out with 22.
His problem was allowing base hits which increased traffic on the base paths. Martin allowed 17 hits and 10 runs. Only one of those hits was a home run. He ended with a 4.08 ERA with the Braves.
In the postseason the Braves didn’t even use him. He could have made a difference in the National League Division Series, especially in games 1 and 4 when the Braves lost by a run. If Martin was in those games, the outcome might have been different because of his ability to strike batters out. The Braves must not have trusted him because of his work in the regular season. He never got his chance to prove he can pitch in the big playoff games.
Keeping Martin is a smart move. The bullpen for the Braves is pretty much set. They will go with Mark Melancon as their closer. Martin will either be the setup-man or a reliever who will pitch the 7th inning. If he can demonstrate to the Braves in Spring Training he can handle the 8th innings, he will be the setup man. On paper, the Braves bullpen should help them win the National League East Division yet again.
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