Angels Trade Reliever To Atlanta Braves For Extra Cash In International Bonus Pool

The Los Angeles Angels have traded reliever Victor Mederos to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations in the international bonus pool, according to a report by Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors. com that was based on announcements from both clubs. This was a trade that was mostly about pitching depth for the Braves, as Mederos was designated for assignment several days ago when the Angels added Shaun Anderson to their roster a few days ago.

According to Francis Romero of BeisbolFR, the pool space changing hands is $250K because pool space can only be traded in $250K increments. Atlanta opened up a roster space for Mederos by transferring righty  AJ Smith-Shawver to the 60-day injured list. Mederos’ track record in the big leagues isn’t that impressive, but his work in the minors is better, hence adding him as a depth piece.

His major league ERA of 8. 53 in 25-1/3 innings is unsightly, but Mederos did pitch to a 3. 39 ERA over 16 starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

The Angels “nudged him off the roster,” according to McDonald, but there was enough interest in the trade market to help initiate this deal with Atlanta. The Braves gave up the pitching space because of their recent pitching injuries, as they’ve lost Spencer Schwellenback, Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz and Spencer Strider to injuries. Atlanta’s rotation currently consists of Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and Martin Perez, but Sale has a lengthy injury history and is now 37.