Braves, Grant Dayton avoid arbitration ahead of deadline

The Braves signed left-hander Grant Dayton to a one-year, $900,000 deal Wednesday afternoon. The deadline for teams to tender players is 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Dayton, 33, was projected to earn $900,000-$1 million in arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Dayton avoids free agency with the agreement and will compete for a bullpen spot during spring training.

The southpaw, who was with the Dodgers when Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos was part of the front office, pitched in 18 games last season. He had a 2.30 ERA and 32:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27-1/3 innings. He retains the organization’s bullpen depth at a low cost.