The Rule 5 draft was more eventful than it had been in recent years for the Braves, who lost one pitcher and gained another Thursday in the closing event of the Winter Meetings.
The Braves lost right-hander J.R. Graham, a former top prospect who was taken by the Twins. The Braves took Rockies right-hander Daniel Winkler, 24, who had some eye-popping statistics in 12 starts for Double-A Tulsa — 1.41 ERA, 0.714 WHIP, 71 strikeouts and 13 walks in 70 innings — before season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery in June.
The Twins must keep Graham on their 25-man major league roster for all of 2015 or offer him back to the Braves for half of the $50,000 claiming price they paid to take him.
The Braves aren’t subject to that keep-him-on-the-big-league-roster rule with Winkler, since he’ll spent most or all of 2015 on the disabled list. They would be required to keep him on their 25-man roster for at least 90 days in 2016.
Winkler is 33-22 with a 3.35 ERA in 76 starts over four seasons, with 447 strikeouts and 130 walks in 429 2/3 innings. This despite a modest 88-92 mph fastball.
“He’s got a lot of deception, very funky,” Braves assistant general manager John Coppolella said. “Really good breaking ball. This guy put up great numbers last year. Our scouts saw him and thought he had good stuff.”
Coppolella said Winkler could be a contrast to power arms in the Braves’ bullpen. His .139 opponents’ average last season included .103 (13-for-126) by right-handed batters.
“(Marlins slugger) Giancarlo Stanton is going to be here for the next 13 years,” Coppolella said. “So just to have a good righty-on-righty weapon wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for us.”
The Braves added Triple-A catching depth by selecting Steven Rodriguez from the Diamondbacks’ Double-A roster in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. He threw out 44 percent of would-be base stealers and hit .263 with no homers and a .365 OBP in 163 plate appearances in high-A and Double-A.
The Braves were happy not to lose right-hander Cody Martin. Many predicted he’d be taken when left off the 40-man roster after posting a 3.52 ERA at Triple-A Gwinnett, with 142 strikeouts in 156 innings.
“He won’t throw 103 miles an hour, but he can really pitch,” Coppolella said.
Graham was a 100-mph-throwing prospect on the rise before a shoulder injury in May 2013. He’s still trying to regain velocity and had a 5.55 ERA in 27 games (19 starts) for Gwinnett, with 50 strikeouts and 26 walks in 71 1/3 innings.
“We hope that we get him back,” Coppolella said. “We don’t want to lose J.R. Graham.”
