Braves, Ogando agree to minor-league deal
Following a mostly forgettable season with the Boston Red Sox, veteran right-hander Alexi Ogando will jump over to the National League in 2016 after agreeing Wednesday to minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves.
Ogando, who turned 32 in October, will receive an invitation to spring training and is expected to compete for a spot in a bullpen that ranked among the worst in the majors in 2015 following the losses of Craig Kimbrel, Jordan Walden, and David Carpenter.
An All-Star with the Texas Rangers in 2011, Ogando has pitched exclusively in relief for the last two seasons after spending his first four years vacillating between the rotation and the bullpen. Though Ogando has actually fared better as a starter since his 2010 debut, durability issues have consistently prevented him from logging a high volume of innings.
| Split | ERA | WHIP | SO9 | HR/9 | SO/W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| as Starter | 3.400 | 1.166 | 6.5 | 0.91 | 2.38 |
| as Reliever | 3.490 | 1.257 | 8.2 | 1.06 | 2.34 |
In 2015, after stumbling to a career-worst 6.84 ERA the season prior, Ogando managed a 3.99 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP over 64 appearances despite posting the third-worst home-run rate (1.65 per nine) among qualified relievers.