The Sean Murphy trade acquisition headlined the Braves’ offseason, but the deal for Joe Jiménez could pay substantial dividends as well, despite a rough start to Spring Training.
The former Detroit Tiger made his second appearance this Spring on Wednesday and was only able to record one out while surrendering four earned runs on three hits, including two home runs. Braves skipper Brian Snitker isn’t concerned, though.
“It wasn’t real crisp,” Snitker said, via Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But it was just good to get him back out there. He’s been down here throwing and doing all the work and everything. The more he gets out there, the better he’ll be.”
Jiménez’s spectacular 2022 season ended because of a right lumbar spine strain, which required surgery. The expectation is he’ll be ready for Opening Day, but it’s clear he’s still shaking off the rust early in the Spring.
The Braves knew about the injury before the trade. The club would’ve never agreed to the deal had they known he was going to miss a significant portion of the 2023 season. He’s not a household name but will soon be in Braves Country, serving as one of the set-up men for Raisel Iglesias.
Jiménez posted a 3.49 ERA and 2.00 FIP last season with 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings to only 2.1 walks per nine. His stuff is nasty, featuring a downright filthy fastball/slider combination. I’m not worried at all about Joe Jiménez’s early struggles; he’ll round into form.
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Photographer: Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire
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