Adding depth to their catching stable, the Atlanta Braves agreed to a deal with veteran Tyler Flowers on Tuesday.
According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Flowers' deal with the Braves is for $5 million through 2017 with a $4 million option for 2018.
With A.J. Pierzynski also signed to a deal this offseason, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted this doesn't bode well for Christian Bethancourt:
The 29-year-old Flowers has played his entire Major League Baseball career with the Chicago White Sox. His calling card is strong defense behind the plate, with StatCorner rating him as the No. 2 overall catcher with 22.5 runs above average and eighth in strike percentage called outside of the zone (9.9).
Flowers doesn't offer a lot with the bat, owning a career slash line of .223/.289/.376, but the value he adds behind the plate is difficult to find. He's also going back to the first professional organization he ever knew, as the Braves made him a 33rd-round pick in 2005.
The Braves dealt Flowers to the White Sox in 2008 as part of the package that brought Javier Vazquez to Atlanta.
Even though the front office has undergone some changes in the seven years since, current Braves general manager John Coppolella has been with the team since after the 2006 season and likely knows what Flowers brings to the table.
While the Braves are building for the future, it's always crucial to have an experienced catcher who can work with young pitchers and help develop them. Flowers will be a piece of their development plan for the next two years.
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