The Braves have reached an agreement with reliever Enoli Paredes has a minor league contract, KPRC 2's Ari Alexander reports (X Link). Paredes will receive a non-roster invitation to major league camp.
It was a short stint as a free agent for the 29-year-old right-hander. The Cubs placed him on outright waivers last week. At that point, he opted for free agency, but apparently emerged as a priority depth target for Atlanta's front office. Paredes posted strong numbers in a limited sample with the Brewers and Cubs this year.
In 21 2/3 innings between the two teams, he combined for a 1.66 earned run average. Discouraging peripherals led teams to refrain from claiming him off waivers last week. Paredes managed just an 18.4% strikeout rate and struck out more than 11% of opponents. Throwing punches has always been a problem. Paredes posted double-digit walk rates as a member of the Astros in 2020-22.
While he didn't miss many at-bats in the big leagues, Paredes posted monster strikeout numbers with Milwaukee's Triple-A team. He fanned out nearly 40% of batters en route to a 1.73 ERA over 26 top minor league innings. His fastball sits in the 94-95 MPH range and has a mid-80s slider as his secondary pitch.
Paredes is out of options. If he works his way to an MLB job in Atlanta, the Braves would have to keep him on the roster or send him back to DFA limbo. They have a solid, high-leverage core but still have a few spots up for grabs in the middle innings. AJ Minter Hit free agency during Joe Jimenez underwent knee surgery that could cost him the entire season.
