Veteran righty Josh Tomlin will be back with the Braves for a third season. The Braves announced Wednesday they re-signed Tomlin to a one-year deal worth $1 million with a $1.25 million club option (with a reported $250,000 buyout) for 2022.
Tomlin, 36, has been a steady presence in the Braves bullpen the past two seasons. He was a pleasant surprise in 2019, cementing himself as an important contributor to a 97-win team, and the Braves brought him back on a one-year minor-league deal as spring training opened in February. He served a similarly important role in the shortened campaign.
In 2019, Tomlin appeared in 51 games (one start), posting a 3.74 ERA and 1.122 WHIP across 79 1/3 innings. He had a 4.76 ERA in 17 games (39-2/3 innings) this season, which included five starts because of the Braves’ decimated rotation.
Tomlin is lauded for his professionalism and leadership, and he’s proved valuable in helping develop some of the team’s younger pitchers. Reliever A.J. Minter, a fellow Tyler, Texas, native, largely credited his resurgence to working with Tomlin.
“I owe a lot of credit to Josh,” Minter said in August. “Not only mechanics, but just the mindset of learning how to pitch, how to throw to hitters, how to set up hitters. I worked on my change-up a lot. Me and Josh, I couldn’t tell you how much I appreciated having him, and having the guys catch me and work out with (during the hiatus). I was blessed to be in that situation.”
Even with Tomlin back, the Braves could be facing turnover in the bullpen. Mark Melancon, Shane Greene and Darren O’Day also are free agents. The 2020 Braves bullpen was one of their best in recent memory, at times carrying the team because of its rotation woes. Braves relievers pitched 272-2/3 innings, the second-highest total in the majors.
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