Atlanta remains busy with 2 deals the night before the deadline

The Atlanta Braves traded for Astros starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi and Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman.

Corresponding Mark Berman of FOX 36 in Houstonthe Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros have joined forces in a 1-for-1 deal with former All-Stars. The Astros will send starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi to the Braves in exchange for reliever Will Smith.

The Braves also reportedly acquired outfielder Robbie Grossman from the Tigers Joel Sherman from The New York Post. Cody Stavenhagen from The Athletic reports that it’s for minor league pitcher Kris Anglin.

Braves acquire Jake Odorizzi from Astros, Robbie Grossman from Tigers

Jake Odorizzi was a name mentioned as a target for the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, but the Cardinals have since traded for Pirates starter José Quintana. So the Braves traded him for Will Smith.

During the season, Odorizzi struggled a bit. In 2022 he has completed just 11 starts and has a 4.25 ERA (92 ERA+). He’s averaging under five innings per start with a career-low strikeout rate (6.5K/9). He is also a free agent at the end of this season.

Will Smith (not the actor and not the Dodgers’ catcher) also had a rough season. In 41 appearances he has a 4.38 ERA, but he was actually very lucky with that ERA (5.23 FIP). He’s averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings (which is a good rate), but he’s also averaging 5.1 walks and 1.7 homers per nine innings.

In 2021, Smith was one of the better relief pitchers in the game as he had a 3.44 ERA in 71 games, an MLB lead of 60 games completed and 37 saves. Unlike Odorizzi, Smith has a $13 million team option next season, so the Astros could decide to exercise it.

Both Odorizzi and Smith were 2019 All-Stars.

Grossman has struggled with the Tigers this season. In 83 games he has hit .205/.313/.282 with an OPS+ of 73. However, he has historically been a high on base guy as he had an OBP of 0.354 from 2017-2021.

Anglin was drafted in the 16th round of the 2021 draft. Between rookie-ball and single-A this season, he has a 4.64 ERA in 17 games (11 starts).