Chad Sobotka and AJ Minter Expected to Be Demoted to Make Room for New Braves Relievers

The Atlanta Braves got their man up against the trade deadline Wednesday when they swooped in for Tigers All-Star closer Shane Greene. Along with fellow late additions Chris Martin and Mark Melancon, Brian Snitker's relief corps suddenly looks a lot healthier as the race for the playoffs gets red-hot.

And with new acquisitions, of course, comes the need to clear up roster space. According to Braves insider David O'Brien, it appears that Chad Sobotka, AJ Minter and Jeremy Walker are the three players set to be optioned to the minors.

Minter, a middle-relief lefty, owns an unsightly 7.24 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in 34 games this year. Sobotka, bandied about as a potential closer of the future in Atlanta, has fared only moderately better across 26 innings in 2019.

Walker, the most untested of the bunch, was only up for a cup of coffee.

The Braves actually own the fourth-best bullpen ERA in the National League, but without a true go-to closer -- Luke Jackson ain't that -- things never felt quite right. Now, along with the earlier acquisition of the capable Anthony Swarzak, the NL East leaders have a healthy sampling of options out of the pen for a wider range of situations. And the timing couldn't have been better.