Dodgers Acquire Adam McCreery from the Braves

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 09: Adam McCreery #68 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 9, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 09: Adam McCreery #68 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 9, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

The Dodgers made a trade on Wednesday as they acquired left-handed reliever Adam McCreery from the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations.

The MLB hot stove is finally starting to heat up this week and the Dodgers added some more fuel to the fire as they traded for southpaw reliever Adam McCreery.  While it’s not an earth-shaking move, it is an intriguing move given Andrew Friedman’s knack for finding hidden gem relievers in trades.

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McCreery pitched one inning this season for the Braves and that was the only big league experience thus far for the soon to be twenty-six-year-old reliever. In that one inning, Adam struck out two batters but also allowed two earned runs.  His minor league success has been much better as he holds a 3.42 ERA in the minors and has allowed a .218 opponent’s average.

The two things that stand out with McCreery is his height, and his ability to strike batters out.  McCreery stands tall at 6’9 and he averages almost eleven strikeouts per nine innings in the minor leagues.  This past season across 54 plus innings in Double-A and Triple-A, McCreery struck out 71 batters.  The downfall has been control issues evidenced by the five walks per nine innings that McCreery has allowed throughout his minor league career.

Our partners at Tomahawk Take had a scouting report on McCreery back in 2016 and it noted that injury concerns questioned if he would ever reach back into the mid-’90s with his fastball again.  McCreery did throw in the mid-’90s this past season and he also has a slider and a curveball.  The Dodgers are looking for ways to improve their bullpen after it failed them in the World Series, so perhaps McCreery could be another sleeper pickup.

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To make room on the forty man roster, the Dodgers designated Pat Venditte for assignment meaning he could be claimed off waivers, sent to the minors, or released.  Venditte was well known for his ability to pitch from both sides of the mound and he put together a solid minor league season for the OKC Dodgers.  While it would be nice if Venditte stuck around he will likely look to be released.