Ramiro Pena offered a contract by Atlanta Braves - MLB Update
As per a report published on Mexican news site, the Atlanta Braves are near to signing an agreement with infielder Ramiro Pena who played for the New York Yankees in the past.
The Braves have stepped up for this deal, because they lack infield depth.
Despite having some back up players for this position, it is doubtful they are capable of putting up major offensive contributions.
Even their regular shortstop, Paul Janish has an extremely low batting average.
Though he might compensate it with his defence, having someone who is good at both the fronts is a luxury that is not enjoyed by the Braves.
The fact Janish may not play the first month of the next season can provide the rationale behind the latest move by Atlanta regarding their infield.
Before attempting to sign Pena, the Braves agreed to Blake DeWitt for a Minor League contract the other day, which further shows their concerns about their infield requirements.
Unfortunately these two individuals namely Pena and DeWitt cannot do anything substantial with regard to improving the offence of the team. Both of them have unimpressive batting averages.
What makes their batting averages unlikely to increase in the upcoming year is that they are not new in the Major League. They have already played for a few teams and remained below par as batters.
In essence, the Braves can least expect anything heroic at the plate from their available shortstops. Only source of production for them possibly will be other position players.
It remains to be seen whether the offer made by Atlanta to Pena has been accepted by him or not. The next couple of days can see the announcement coming off in this regard.
The Braves are one of those fortunate teams in this on-going offseason that do not have much to do for streamlining their roster. Except for a few areas, they already enjoy an excessive supply of players for various departments.
For example, they had to unload one starting pitcher from their rotation namely Tommy Hanson the other day because his existence in the team was unnecessary.
The Braves will be looking to make sure they leave no stone unturned to prepare for the upcoming season.
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