What had been a crowded Braves bullpen got winnowed a bit Thursday when veteran setup man David Carpenter and rookie left-hander Chasen Shreve were traded to the Yankees for lefty starter Manny Banuelos, a former top prospect who will compete for the only opening in Atlanta’s rotation.
Banuelos, 23, was rated among baseball’s top 30 prospects before the 2011 and 2012 seasons, but is trying to regain form since having Tommy John elbow surgery in October 2012. He missed the 2013 season and was 2-3 with a 4.11 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) at three minor league levels in 2014, with 71 strikeouts and 31 walks in 76 2/3 innings.
After adding four relievers in earlier trades, including former closers Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson, the Braves traded from a position of depth for a starter they think has a high upside and will be under contractual control for six seasons. Banuelos, who’ll turn 24 in March, has a minor league option remaining and could be sent to Triple-A if necessary.
He has a 3.29 ERA in 112 games (95 starts) over six minor league seasons, with 446 strikeouts in 446 innings.
In addition to Grilli and Johnson, the Braves traded for former Angels reliever Michael Kohn and Arodys Vizcaino, 24, a former Braves prospect who missed two of three seasons with the Cubs because of Tommy John surgery rehab and other ailments.
Carpenter had a 2.63 ERA in 121 appearances over two seasons with the Braves, with 141 strikeouts and 36 walks in 126 2/3 innings. He gave up a decisive home run to Juan Uribe in the Dodgers’ Game 4 division series-clinching win in 2013 and briefly was benched last summer after struggling mightily for several weeks.
Shreve, 24, had a 0.73 ERA in 15 appearances with 15 strikeouts and three walks in 12 1/3 innings. He’s not a traditional lefty reliever in that he’s been more effective vs. right-handed hitters than lefty hitters for much of his career.
The Braves traded reliever Anthony Varvaro to Boston on Dec. 17 for relief prospect Aaron Kurcz and cash. A month before that, they traded setup man Jordan Walden to St. Louis along with Gold Glove right fielder Jason Heyward in exchange for starting pitcher Shelby Miller and starting-pitcher prospect Tyrell Jenkins.
