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Washington Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon filed a grievance against the club for failing to pay him during a four-game suspension that he served during the 2015 season, per Rob Bradford of WEEI in Boston.

The issue at hand is whether the Nationals owe him the salary they did not pay during his suspension. According to Bradford, Papelbon claims “there is no precedent of a player having his salary withdrawn after such a team-issued suspension.”

Here is video footage of the incident involving a skirmish with teammate Bryce Harper that resulted in Papelbon’s suspension, per MLB.com:

Papelbon ended up serving a seven-game suspension after MLB added three games to the team-imposed ban, shutting him down for the rest of the season.

Whether Papelbon agreed with it at the time or not, the Nationals issued a statement shortly after the incident, noting the team would not pay him during the suspension:

This creates an awkward situation for both sides. But MLB is a business, and Papelbon is trying to recoup some, or all, of the money he missed out on.

MLB has a strong players’ union, but this seems like a clear-cut case: Either the rule says a player is paid during a team-imposed suspension, or it doesn’t.

According to Bradford, no hearing date has been set for the 35-year-old closer who has amassed 349 saves during his 11-year career.

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Star Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda could be coming to Major League Baseball soon, according to Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times.

Continue for updates.

Arizona Diamondbacks Interested In Maeda 

Friday, December 4

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported the Arizona Diamondbacks are in hot pursuit of Maeda, but signing him won’t be easy.

The general manager of the Hiroshima Carp, Kiyoaki Suzuki, provided a statement on Maeda’s posting, per Piecoro:

Kenta Maeda’s performance, his contributions, the player’s situation, the posting system environment beyond next year, the thoughts of the fans—everything was taken into consideration. As a result, it was determined that for Kenta Maeda and for the ballclub, this was the best timing. We will prepare for him to be posted.”

The posting system was set so Japanese teams can receive compensation for players seeking to play in the Major League before becoming free agents in Japan, per Baseball-Reference.com.

Piecoro wrote that Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart has been open about pursuing Maeda, who is expected to be posted for the maximum $20 million. It will cost a team that wants to sign him that much just to negotiate—though the fee will only be paid if he joins.

It could be worth it, however, as Maeda has been nothing but spectacular in his career. He is 97-67 with a 2.39 ERA. He has thrown 10 shutouts while striking out 1,233 batters in 1,509.2 innings. He has walked only 319.

In 2015. the 6’0″, 154-pounder finished 16-8 with a 2.09 ERA.

However, Mike Axisa of CBS Sports said while Maeda is a top pitcher in Japan, he is regarded as a middle-of-the-rotation prospect in the Majors.

A scouting report from Ben Badler of Baseball America (via Axisa) explained his versatility:

Maeda has shown solid stuff across the board, with a fastball that sits at 89-93 mph and can touch 94, a tick above-average slider that he leans on heavily, along with a curveball and a changeup. … While Maeda’s slider is usually his go-to secondary pitch, his best offspeed weapon in two starts against Mexico and Puerto Rico was his changeup.

At this point, it might be worth it for Arizona to take a chance to help improve its staff. In 2015 the Diamondbacks ranked 15th in MLB in ERA at 4.04, 19th in strikeouts and 23rd in walks.

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The Miami Marlins are reportedly listening to offers from teams interested in trading for second baseman Dee Gordon, per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Continue for updates.

Landing Gordon Won’t Be Easy

Monday, Nov. 23

Gordon, who hit a career-high .333 with 58 stolen bases in 2015, won’t come cheap.

Cafardo wrote: “Gordon has received a ton of interest, being a second baseman who can hit as well as run. The Marlins have listened, but it would have to be a huge deal in which front-line, controllable pitching would come in return. Seems unlikely.”

Pitching is certainly a need for Miami, who was 71-91 in 2014, but the team’s 4.02 ERA finished in the middle of the pack. The Marlins’ 613 runs were only better than the 573 scored by the Atlanta Braves. Gordon had nearly 15 percent of them on his own.

The 27-year-old, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for four years before going to Miami in a six-player deal, will never hit for power or knock in a ton of runs. His four round-trippers and 46 RBI last season were both career highs. 

However, he committed just six errors in 733 chances in 2014. His .992 fielding percentage was second among all qualifying second basemen, earning him his first Gold Glove Award. He led the league in batting average, hits and stolen bases.

That obviously will attract interest from many teams, but the numbers also, as Cafardo said, are good bargaining chips when it comes to making a trade.

It makes sense for the Marlins to hold on to the two-time All-Star for now. As Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times tweeted, the Dodgers have already learned to regret trading him to Miami:

Cafardo also mentioned the Marlins could deal center fielder Marcell Ozuna for starting pitching, another sign Gordon may stay in Miami. That is at least until the Marlins find themselves out of the playoff race before the summer trade deadline.   

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As the Chicago White Sox look to improve on a disappointing 2015 season, they are reportedly open to trading outfielder Avisail Garcia.

Continue for updates.

Garcia Becoming Expendable As White Sox Improve Outfield

Thursday, Nov. 19

Garcia came to the White Sox as the centerpiece of a three-team trade in 2013 but has failed to live up to expectations.

Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com said his struggles, coupled with the addition of former All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera last season and the emergence of rookie Trayce Thompson, have put the 24-year-old Garcia on the trade block.    

The outfielder hit .455 during the 2012 American League Championship Series with the Detroit Tigers, which created high expectations when he came to the White Sox. However, in two-plus seasons, Garcia has slashed just .263/.312/.389, with 25 home runs and 109 RBI in 236 games.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn has declined to comment on Garcia’s availability but has not given up on his ability to play in the major leagues, per Hayes:

We can’t lose sight of the fact that he was still playing last year at 24, at a young age. That really was his first full season in the majors.

The ceiling is still extremely high. Certainly everyone, including Avi, would have preferred to show more consistency and flashes of that upside on a more consistent basis. But it doesn’t change the optimism around him for the future.

Even though Garcia is young and just came to the White Sox two years ago, only three players currently on the team have been in Chicago longer. That number could shrink to one if Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham aren’t with the team in 2016, per Hayes:

His tenure and potential aside, words from Hahn on the development of Thompson don’t bode well for Garcia, according to Hayes:

I think Trayce has shown the ability to start. How we make that work is probably a better question come spring once we see how the whole roster looks. We’ve known from Trayce for the last several years he can be an above-average major league defender at three outfield positions. That gives us a little flexibility on how to work him in best and he’s certainly, from an offensive standpoint, showed he deserves to play. That’ll either work itself out before spring based on transactions or come spring we’ll figure out a way to use him best.

The writing appears to be on the wall that Garcia, who will be in his first year of arbitration in 2016, will not be back in Chicago.

Although his contract is very cheap and he has age on his side, White Sox brass must be tired of waiting for him to produce.

Follow @MikeNorrisBR

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The Oakland Athletics are to sign free-agent left-handed pitcher Rich Hill to a one-year, $6 million contract, pending a physical, per Jane Lee of MLB.com.     

Hill, an 11-year veteran, started four games for the Boston Red Sox in 2015 and was 2-1 with a 1.55 ERA. Most impressively, he had 36 strikeouts and just five walks in 29 innings.

He pitched in relief with the Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees from 2010-14 but is 26-23 in 74 career starts.

Hill has pitched for six teams in his career—seven if you count two stops in Boston—and has bounced around from not only the starting rotation and bullpen, but the minor and major leagues as well.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe congratulated the 35-year-old journeyman on his contract:

However, Joe Stiglich of Comcast SportsNet California said the A’s are hoping he is more than just a nice story:

It’s possible he could be more than a back-end starter considering Sonny Gray (14-7) was the only Oakland pitcher to win more than seven games in 2015. Ten pitchers started at least six games for the team.

The A’s went from the American League Wild Card Game in 2014 to last place in the AL in 2015. This is a solid addition to the rotation in hopes of a turnaround in 2016 and a nice move for a player who has had his ups and downs during his career.

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There is no shortage of talent in the Major League Baseball free-agent pool, and a World Series champion is starting to make some waves in the market.

Ben Zobrist came to the Kansas City Royals in a midseason trade with the Oakland Athletics and was rumored at one point to have both teams from The Big Apple interested him.

Now, the New York Yankees have backed off, but the New York Mets are still interested, per Ken Davidoff and Dan Martin of the New York Post.

Let’s take a look where Zobrist could end up, as well as two top free-agent pitchers.

Zobrist Could Re-Sign with Royals

Zobrist’s versatility, which includes playing second base and outfield along with switch-hitting, should be enough to have nearly every team interested him in. Just because a player is in demand, though, doesn’t mean he fits with every team. As Martin and Davidoff wrote, believe it or not, the Yankees aren’t willing to shell out the cash for him.

“According to industry sources, the Yankees aren’t willing to spend as much as Zobrist likely will receive on the market, even if he does fill a need in the infield and is a switch-hitter,” the Post reported. 

The Mets are looking to replace National League Championship Series MVP Daniel Murphy after he rejected the team’s one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer, per Davidoff and Martin, which would open the door for Zobrist.

It would be interesting if he signed with the team that the Royals defeated in the World Series, but don’t look for it to happen.

Per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com, Zobrist said during the regular season Kansas City was on his list of choices for 2016 and even gave his newborn the middle name Royal.

With most of the core talent returning for the 2016 season, it would make sense for him to re-sign with the Royals.

Prediction: Multiyear deal with the Royals

Cueto Testing the Market

Zobrist’s teammate Johnny Cueto played a big role in the Royals’ championship season as well, throwing a two-hit, complete game to give Kansas City a 2-0 lead in the World Series.

However, as soon as Kansas City traded key minor leaguers to get him right before the deadline, there was speculation Cueto was just stopping by for a visit.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote during the playoffs that the Royals had no plans to re-sign the 29-year-old: “The Royals already know they will not be trying to retain Johnny Cueto. They expect his free-agent price tag to go beyond their comfort level and, also, they have seen enough of his inconsistency to be worried about trying to keep him long term anyway.”

Despite some strong playoff starts and a complete-game shutout in his first home start with Kansas City, Cueto was just 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA after the trade.

The Royals don’t shell out contracts like he’s seeking—which varies, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports—and they probably feel like his time in town was worth the trade considering they ended the season as champions.

The Boston Red Sox, on the other hand, make a habit of doing just that. Per Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox are looking to fill a hole at the front of the rotation via free agency, after trading for All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel.

Cueto, and his 96 career wins and 3.30 ERA, would fill that void nicely.

Prediction: Multiyear deal with the Boston Red Sox

Zach Greinke Commanding a Huge Contract

If you want to make some money, go 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA in a contract year. That’s exactly what Zach Greinke did in 2015 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now he is commanding a contract somewhere in the neighborhood of $125-$150 million over five years, according to John Heyman of CBSSports.com.

Greinke is 32, and as Mark Saxon of ESPN.com recently wrote, the Dodgers “probably” won’t look to re-sign him:

The Dodgers are looking to get younger, and another mega-contract makes that more difficult. Also, team president Stan Kasten has a blanket policy against extending pitchers beyond a certain number of major-league pitches and Greinke, who has been durable throughout his career, has thrown more than 33,000.

It can’t be easy to let a guy go who has gone 51-15 the past three seasons, but that appears to be the case.

Greinke is a private person and has given no indication of where he might end up. It’s all speculation at this point, but count on him going to a contender if he doesn’t change his mind and re-sign with Los Angeles.

He forced his way out of Kansas City in 2011 and was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, who made the postseason that year. He left a year later to sign a six-year deal with the Dodgers.

Prediction: Multiyear deal with the New York Yankees

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The Boston Red Sox made an offseason splash Friday, acquiring four-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Rosenthal confirmed that outfielder Manuel Margot was part of the deal. The 21-year-old has hit .282 with 23 home runs and 175 RBI in 344 career minor league games.

New President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski must have felt he could part with a top prospect because his closer from last year, Koji Uehara, is 40 years old and has regressed over the past two seasons after a spectacular 2013 campaign.

SoxProspects.com ranked Margot as Boston’s No. 4 overall prospect and summarized his game:

Future first-division regular who could contribute in all areas of the game. Potential leadoff hitter who could hit for average and some power, steal bases and provide above average defense at a premium defensive position. Strong instincts, has really taken to professional baseball since he entered the system and adjusted to each challenge given to him seamlessly.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe wrote about Margot in July, noting he could reach the majors sooner than later. Speier quoted Red Sox scout Manny Nanita, who was impressed by Margot’s work ethic, even as a 16-year-old: “I was watching everybody working out. There were 20 guys. The only guy that was shagging, taking things seriously, was him. He showed a lot of passion.”

In San Diego, there is a clear path to center field, which has been Margot’s primary position in the minors.

It’s too early to tell what San Diego’s plan for him is, but SoxProspects.com predicted he would be in the majors by late 2016. Now that he is with the struggling Padres, he could reach the big leagues even sooner.

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For the first time in the four-year history of Major League Baseball’s qualifying-offer system, a player has accepted his team’s offer, per the Associated Press (via Fox Sports).

In fact, three players accepted one-year, $15.8 million offers to remain with their original clubs this year. Houston Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus was the first player to accept the deal, per the AP.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters and Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Brett Anderson also accepted the offers.

Here is a list of the 20 players who received offers and their statuses:

Instead of taking the qualifying offer, Marco Estrada opted to re-sign with the Toronto Blue Jays for $26 million over two years, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick confirmed.

The qualifying-offer system was put into place in 2012. If a player declines the offer and signs with another team before the June amateur draft, the team that lost the player receives a compensation pick, and the team that signed the free agent loses a draft pick, per the AP.

Qualifying offers are calculated by taking the average of the top 125 MLB contracts. Per the AP, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the system:

The fact that players say no, go out into the market and get contracts even though the signing club is giving up a draft choice kind of says to me we got it right. So I don’t think that you need somebody to accept. I think that so far we have successfully identified a group of players who were significant losses for the teams they were leaving and were high enough quality that they could bear the burden of draft-choice compensation in the market and still get a good contract.

Let’s take a look at the three players who made history.

Rasmus Happy to Be Back in Houston

The 29-year-old Rasmus hit a career-high 25 home runs for the Astros in 2015, helping lead the team to the American League Division Series before it fell to the Kansas City Royals.

Rasmus will return to Houston looking for more, per the team’s Twitter account:

The outfielder hit only .238 in 2015 but set a major league record by recording an extra-base hit in each of his first six postseason games, per Jane Lee of MLB.com.

Despite his torrid postseason, he isn’t a spring chicken, and the market was probably not going to be great for an outfielder with a .314 on-base percentage who is good for more than one strikeout per game.

He fits well in Houston, and it made sense for him to remain with the Astros.

Wieters Staying Home

Wieters, who hit .267 with eight home runs and 25 RBI in 75 games in 2015, said Baltimore is the only place where he wants to play, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. “When it came down to it, there’s no other organization or city from my experience in the major leagues where I’d rather play, especially on a one-year deal, than Baltimore,” Wieters said.

The 29-year-old catcher has played in only 101 games over the past two seasons because of injuries, and accepting the second-highest annual salary in Orioles history was a no-brainer.

He is one of the better overall catchers in the game, especially at the plate, but most likely would not have gotten this kind of offer coming off two injury-riddled seasons.

If he can get healthy and have a strong season, the market should be good for him in 2016.

Anderson Remaining with Dodgers

After winning 10 games in his first year for the Dodgers, Brett Anderson accepted his qualifying offer and shared the good news on Twitter:

Anderson is another player who has dealt with injuries in his career. After taking the mound 30 times during his rookie season in 2009, he never started more than 19 games in a season until 2015.

Although he put in 180.1 innings and had a decent 3.69 ERA, he may have felt the nearly $16 million from the Dodgers would be his best offer.

Jeff Todd of MLBTradeRumors.com feels a second straight healthy year could set up Anderson for the long term:

In addition to ensuring that he’ll add a hefty, $15.8M salary to his bank account, the move allows Anderson another opportunity to prove his health and effectiveness. He’ll still be plenty young next year, when the market features nothing close to this season’s mass of top-end talent and overall depth. With a big 2016, then, Anderson could be in prime position to cash in.

If he can pitch effectively in 2016, he’ll be able to test the market when he turns 28 next year and likely receive some nice offers.

Follow @MikeNorrisBR

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The Major League Baseball season is over, but hot-stove action is just heating up.

It’s a time when bad teams look to get better, but even the World Series champion Kansas City Royals don’t shut it down in the offseason.

While they are looking to make an already strong team stronger, they also are fending off teams that are seeking to add the services of free agents who played in Kansas City last year, such as Alex Gordon and Ben Zobrist.

One of the major blueprints for Kansas City’s success was a strong bullpen, and middle relievers and closers are hot commodities on this year’s market.

Let’s take a look at where some of the top free-agent relievers could land and how one rival may be trying to lure Zobrist out of Kansas City.

Flamethrower Chapman Draws Interest

Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is 6’4″ and 215 pounds. He’s left-handed and throws 100 mph. It goes without saying that teams like that combination in a closer—or any pitcher, for that matter.

Chapman saved 145 games in Cincinnati the past four years, and according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network, he has many potential trade suitors:

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported the Boston Red Sox could be one of those teams:

Chapman will be a free agent after the 2016 season, and Travis Durkee of Sporting News said the Reds have no interest in paying him to remain with the team thereafter:

Chapman, 27, has recorded no fewer than 33 saves in the last four seasons as the Reds closer. However, he’ll hit free agency after the 2016 season, and the Reds reportedly have no plans to keep him as he’ll certainly command even more than the $13 million he’s set to make in his final year of arbitration.

If so, it would make a lot of sense to unload him now. Closers don’t usually bring back equal value in a trade, but Chapman is one of the rare ones who could come close.

He would be a good fit in Boston. The Red Sox have closer Koji Uehara, but he is 40 and has regressed the past two seasons after a phenomenal 2013 campaign.

The Reds look to be rebuilding this year after trading starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to the Royals midseason. Per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, Cincinnati is listening to offers on just about anyone at this point.

Chapman is all but gone, but where will he land?

Boston makes sense, as does Detroit, but don’t be surprised if a sleeper comes in at the last minute and makes a deal.

Zobrist on Cardinals’ Radar

The Royals won the World Series in 2015 thanks in large part to midseason acquisition Ben Zobrist. The utility man played mostly second base for Kansas City and batted .284 with seven home runs and 23 RBI in 59 games, after coming over in a trade just before the deadline.

He played a solid second base and registered 20 hits in 16 playoff games for the Royals. Kansas City fans want him to stay. One fan even set up a Go Fund Me page to help keep Zobrist and Gordon with the team. Zobrist and his wife Julianna have become fan favorites, especially when they gave their newborn the middle name, Royal.

That would all change if a recent report from ESPN’s Buster Olney comes to fruition. He writes that the St. Louis Cardinals are interested in Zobrist. 

The Royals and Cardinals are bitter rivals. While most realize professional sports is a business, the last thing Kansas City fans want to see is Zobrist in Cardinals red.

With Zobrist’s flexibility to play nearly anywhere, it would be hard to imagine a team that is not interested in his services. However, Crasnick said the Royals are going to make a push at re-signing the 34-year-old:

Olney’s report on the Cardinals’ interest in Zobrist means they most likely will pursue him, but don’t look for him to end up there.

Zobrist fills a need for Kansas City—who played most of the year with light-hitting Omar Infante at second base—and even as far back as August, he expressed an interest in remaining with the team, per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.

Royals fans, rest easy that he’ll be back. If not, how else will he explain his daughter’s middle name?

Struggling Tigers Look to Bolster Pen

The Detroit Tigers won the American League Central from 2011 to 2014 with a less-than-stellar bullpen. They were typically exposed in the playoffs, although they did reach the 2012 World Series, only to be swept by the San Francisco Giants.

In 2015, a horrid bullpen wasn’t the only reason the Tigers fell to last place in the Central, but it was a huge factor. Detroit relievers blew 25 saves and converted just 58.3 percent of save opportunities—both ranking 14th out of 15 AL teams.

There are plenty of solid relievers in free agency for the Tigers to go after. According to Crasnick, that’s exactly what they’re doing. Detroit has shown interest in Ryan Madson, Shawn Kelley, Tommy Hunter, Darren O’Day and Joakim Soria—who pitched with the Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015.

O’Day, 33, is the most sought-after relief pitcher right now and could demand at least a three-year, $18.5 million contract, per Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He thinks O’Day is likely to stay in Baltimore, but nothing is imminent.

“All things being equal, I think O’Day would like to remain in Baltimore,” Connolly wrote. “But once free agency unfolds for real, things stop being equal. And some team is going to pay a whole lot of money for O’Day’s consistency and leadership.”

In 65 innings, O’Day had a 1.52 ERA, and a team could use the setup man as a closer if needed. The side-arm righty closed six games for the Orioles in 2015 and has not finished with an ERA higher than 2.28 since 2011.

Showing interest and actually making a move are two different things. As early as Nov. 10, Olney said an O’Day signing could happen soon:

The Tigers have money to spend after dumping the contracts of Yoenis Cespedes and David Price during the regular season. Agent Scott Boras said owner Mike Ilitch is willing to spend money on starting pitching, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.

However, the Tigers had plenty of pitching over the past five years with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister and still never got over the hump. If they want to win that elusive World Series, the bullpen must improve.

Ousted general manager Dave Dombrowski is no longer there to make a signature blockbuster trade, but count on new GM Al Avila and Ilitch to add at least one of these relievers from the list.

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It was no secret that the Atlanta Braves were going to move shortstop Andrelton Simmons, but his destination was a mystery until the trade was finalized.

The Los Angeles Angels swooped in at the last minute and dealt for Simmons. The Braves announced the trade Thursday night, per their Twitter account:

Erick Aybar brings 1,220 games of Major League Baseball experience, mainly in the infield. Sean Newcomb was widely regarded as the Angels’ top pitching prospect, and Chris Ellis isn’t far behind.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times said the Angels gave up “arguably their second-best prospect in Ellis, a right-hander.”

The 23-year-old former Ole Miss Rebels star was drafted by the Angels in the third round of the 2014 MLB draft after spurning the Los Angeles Dodgers, who selected him in the 50th round of the 2011 draft.

In 28 starts spread out between rookie and A-ball, Ellis is 11-10 with a 4.67 ERA and one shutout. In three years at Ole Miss, he was 15-5 as a starter and reliever.

Before the season began, Taylor Blake Ward of Scout.com had this to say about the 6’4”, 220-pounder: “Ellis has a nice ceiling of being a mid-rotation starter, potentially being a No. 2 guy at his peak. His current ETA to the majors is 2018, when he’s 25 years old. All of this depends primarily on how and when he fixes his command and control problems.”

Ellis’ future in Atlanta could change his path, but MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez said he was told by a scout that Ellis’ prognosis in Los Angeles is not as high as a No. 2 starter:

Kyle Glaser of the Orange County Register wrote in September that the pitcher had been holding back to conserve energy. But it resulted in early trouble, and he was being pulled by the fifth inning. Once he made an effort to correct that, he became “nearly unhittable”:

A low- to mid-90s fastball and an impressive changeup are Ellis’ two main weapons, and his breaking pitches seemed to improve every start. He also held up physically in making 26 starts, no small feat for someone who was mostly a reliever in college and was in his first full season of pro ball. As long as Ellis continues his aggressive mentality and challenges hitters with his best stuff right away, the general consensus is Ellis has a future as a major league starter.

The Braves are stacking their farm system with pitching and trying to emulate the 2015 National League champion New York Mets, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan:

The Mets’ young staff carried them to the playoffs, and pitching was the formula the Braves used in the 1990s and early 2000s to carry them to 14 straight division championships.

No minor leaguer is a sure thing, and pitching prospects take time to develop. However, barring injuries, Ellis should be in the rotation for the Braves in the future.

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