Long in the market for pitching help, the first-place Atlanta Braves have reportedly acquired veteran relief pitcher Chris Martin from the Texas Rangers.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic notes that Atlanta is sending minor league pitcher Kolby Allard to Texas in the deal.
This could potentially tell us why the trade market has been so quiet leading up to Wednesday’s deadline.
According to MLB.com, Allard is currently the Braves’ 10th-best prospect. He’s being moved for a 33-year-old reliever in the midst of his first average MLB season.
Martin is pitching to a 3.08 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 38 games this season. He’s also struck out 43 batters compared to four walks.
With that said, Martin’s success has been limited to just this season. He pitched to a 4.54/1.22 WHIP in 2018 and was playing overseas the previous two seasons after struggling in stints with the Yankees and Rockies.