Braves sign David Aardsma to minor-league deal

The Braves have signed reliever David Aardsma to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to a tweet from Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Aardsma had spent the first two months of the season with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City, and recently opted out of his deal with Los Angeles and became a free agent when the team declined to add him to their major-league roster.

Aardsma, 33, made 20 appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, posting an impressive 2.41 ERA and notching fifteen saves in 18.2 innings of work. He has not appeared in the majors since pitching for the Mets in 2013, spending last season with the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate in Memphis before signing a minor-league deal with the Dodgers during the winter. Atlanta will be Aardsma's tenth organization, joining the Giants, Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox, Mariners, Yankees, Mets, Cardinals and Dodgers.

The Braves have been known to be on the lookout for bullpen help due to their league-worst 5.03 bullpen ERA, so the addition of Aardsma may be more than a depth move for the club. Aardsma may join the team's major-league bullpen at some point in the near future, potentially joining right-handers Cody Martin, Nick Masset, Brandon Cunniff, Trevor Cahill and Jim Johnson in front of closer Jason Grilli.