Braves acquire Edgar Santana from the Pirates

The Braves acquired more pitching depth Thursday night, claiming Edgar Santana off waivers from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations.

The #Braves last night acquired RHP Edgar Santana from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to the club’s alternate training site.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 9, 2021

Santana hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2018, but that year, he performed fairly well out of the Pirates bullpen, posting a 3.26 ERA in 66.1 innings, and the best thing he did was throw strikes, recording just 1.6 BB/9.

However, it has been a rollercoaster for Santana since that season. He underwent Tommy John Surgery in late 2018, which cost him the entire 2019 season. And the very next season, he was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a banned substance, which cost him all of 2020 as well. After a rough Spring Training, he was ultimately designated for assignment by the Pirates and claimed by the Braves.

We’ve seen how thin Atlanta’s bullpen is early on, especially from the right side. This seems to be a case of Alex Anthopoulos acquiring some pitching depth just in case. Santana certainly isn’t anything special, but he does one thing the Braves love — throws strikes. If an injury or two occurs, we could see him in Atlanta.