Seeking help for what’s been the majors’ worst bullpen, the Braves signed veteran reliever David Aardsma and left-hander Dana Eveland to minor league contracts and assigned both to Triple-A Gwinnett, for the time being.
The Braves signed Eveland, 31, on Sunday, a few days after he exercised an opt-out clause in his contract with the Red Sox when he wasn’t called up to the majors. Eveland, who had a 1.54 ERA in 23 1/3 innings at Triple-A Pawtucket, with 20 strikeouts and only three walks. A nine-year major league veteran with a 20-26 record and 4.27 ERA in 144 games (61 starts), Eveland spent the 2013 season pitching in Korea before returning to pitch for the Mets in 2014.
His return was so successful – he had a career-best 2.63 ERA in 30 appearances for New York, with 27 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings – that some were surprised that he got only a minor league contract with the Red Sox this spring.
Aardsma, 33, also exercised a June 1 opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Dodgers. He had a 2.41 ERA in 20 appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City, with 23 strikeouts and seven walks in 18 2/3 innings.
Aardsma has a 4.23 ERA in 298 career appearances over eight major league seasons. He last pitched in the majors in 2013 with the Mets, posting a 4.31 ERA in 43 appearances, with 36 strikeouts and 19 walks in 39 2/3 innings.
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