Just about every contending team needed help ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline on Wednesday afternoon, and one of the top options available was Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene.
He is in the midst of a breakout season and is under club control through the 2020 season, but with the Tigers owning one of the worst records in baseball, they knew that this year would be the best time to cash in for Greene on the trade market to continue with their rebuild.
One of the teams that was involved heavily in discussions for Greene was the Los Angeles Dodgers, although it does not appear that he will be headed to the West Coast.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Greene is instead being traded to the Atlanta Braves:
Braves get Shane Greene, pending medicals
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 31, 2019
The Braves own the second-best record in the National League behind the Dodgers and may be their biggest competition to represent the NL in the World Series. This is certainly an impact move to bolster the backend of their bullpen while also keeping him away from their biggest competitors.
In 38 games for the Tigers this season, Greene pitched to a 1.18 ERA, 3.70 FIP and 0.87 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 12 walks in 38 innings while completing 22 saves in 25 opportunities.
The Dodgers could now shift their focus to Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez with Greene no longer being an option, although the asking price for him is still reportedly extremely high. The more likely scenario is the Dodgers acquire a couple of lesser names and also use in-house options to address their bullpen issues.
