Braves sign Josh Outman to one-year deal

The Atlanta Braves have added another option to their bullpen, signing left-hander Josh Outman to a one-year contract, the club announced. Per MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo, the 30-year-old's deal is worth a guaranteed $925,000, with an extra $475,000 available via incentives, giving it a maximum value of $1.4 million.

Outman, who was released by the Yankees in late-September, posted a very strong 2.86 ERA in 28.1 innings over 40 appearances in 2014, but his walk rate (5.1) was abnormally high compared to the career 3.6 BB/9 he held entering the season. His FIP (4.83) and xFIP (4.18) also seem to point towards a lesser performance last year.

For his career, Outman owns a 4.43 ERA (97 ERA+), 4.07 FIP, and 3.1 WAR in 274.1 innings of work. He has pitched for the Athletics, Rockies, Indians, and Yankees in parts of six seasons.

Outman will join Jim Johnson, Arodys Vizcaino, and Jason Grilli as new additions to a Braves bullpen that ranked fourth in the majors in FIP last season, though they are now without the recently traded Jordan Walden and David Carpenter. Outman is likely slated to join James Russell and Luis Avilan as the Braves' third southpaw bullpen option out of the gate. He is likely to serve in a strict LOOGY role, as left-handers have hit just .186/.254/.283 off him during his career, while right-handers have slugged a significantly better .303/.378/.473.

Atlanta also announced the signings of Grilli and catcher A.J. Pierzynski on Wednesday. To clear roster space, the Braves will designate infielder Tyler Pastornicky for assignment, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. The 25-year-old Pastornicky played in just 28 games for the Braves in 2014, notching a 59 OPS+ and -0.5 WAR in 47 plate appearances. For his career, he is a .243/.295/.314 hitter in 268 major league plate appearances and .280/.343/.376 hitter in the minors.