The Braves sent the two “players to be named later” – infield prospects AJ Graffanino and Greg Cullen – to the Orioles on Thursday to complete the Tommy Milone trade from late August.
Milone had a forgettable brief tenure with the Braves. The team acquired him before the trade deadline hoping he would bolster a decimated rotation and provide innings. Instead, Milone gave dreadful performances, allowing 16 earned runs (four homers) in 9-2/3 innings as a Brave.
The veteran lefty made only three starts for the Braves before he was placed on the injured list with elbow inflammation. Milone, 33, is a free agent.
Graffanino, whom the Braves drafted in 2018, is the son of long-time major-leaguer Tony Graffanino, who played for the Braves from 1996-98. A defensive standout, the younger Graffanino impressed in 2018 but played only one game in 2019 because of an “undiagnosed gastrointestinal issue,” per Baseball America, which still rated Graffanino the Braves' No. 27 prospect entering the season.
Cullen, 23, didn’t rank among the Braves' top 30 prospects. Also a member of the team’s 2018 draft class, Cullen was taken in the 15th round after leading NCAA Division I with a .458 average at Niagara. Cullen spent 2019 with Single-A Rome, where he hit .270/.393/.401 with nine homers and 58 RBIs in 130 games.
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