Three Cuts: Atlanta’s under-the-radar newcomers buoy team’s postseason push

With the flexibility of the waiver-wire trade deadline at its disposal last August, the Atlanta Braves’ front office landed pinch-hitting option Lucas Duda and backup catcher René Rivera and reacquired outfielder Preston Tucker. Duda and Rivera would wind up on the organization’s 2018 NLDS roster as bench pieces alongside Lane Adams, utility option Ryan Flaherty and quasi-starter Kurt Suzuki, who split catching duties with Tyler Flowers.

That waiver-wire trio brought little to the table during their brief stints with the 2018 NL East champs, combining for five hits in 41 plate appearances. Duda was, by far, the most effective player of the group — rattling off one home run, two doubles and four walks in the regular season — so it’s not surprising the team re-signed him earlier this month as a potential September option when rosters expand yet again. (The team also brought back Lane Adams on a minor-league deal.) Atlanta’s depth was still exposed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs. Duda and Flaherty went hitless in limited time. Adams got hit by a pitch in one of his two at-bats. Rivera never entered a single game.

General managers publicly fretted over how the elimination of the waiver-wire trade deadline would alter their ability to address late-season needs, but the 2018 Braves did not face anything close to the accumulation of late-season injuries the current roster is experiencing and yet the 2019 front office made far better additions without that crutch.

In lieu of a second trade deadline, the Braves signed discarded veterans Adeiny Hechavarría and Francisco Cervelli and claimed speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton off waivers. The franchise also selected the contract of Triple-A outfielder Rafael Ortega and kept giving resurgent 2018 deadline acquisition Adam Duvall opportunities. The moves were geared toward merely stopping the leaks caused by injuries to Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte, Brian McCann, Nick Markakis and Austin Riley. They’ve provided far more than that.

“The guys that have come in here have done everything that our team has needed,” Josh Donaldson said.

The trio of newcomers — Cervelli, Hechavarría and Hamilton — have combined for 13 hits in 47 plate appearances with seven extra-base hits, seven RBI, three walks and two stolen bases. Compare that to the production from last year’s group in a similar sample size.

“Why don’t we just get a new guy every single day?” Freddie Freeman asked aloud after Cervelli’s monster game against the Mets on Saturday night. “It’s been pretty amazing. Alex (Anthopoulos) is pushing all the right buttons and the guys that he’s bringing in, I think, are just really energized and excited to be here.

“ … The message has been sent to us since June when we went out and got Dallas (Keuchel). When you play well, you get rewarded. And they’ve been rewarded us for three straight months, you know? Dallas in June, relievers in July and all these guys here in August.”

Perhaps bigger (and more memorable) than the sheer counting numbers are the moments.

This is a patchwork group deserving of a nickname if Atlanta can make waves this postseason.

Ortega’s grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers was one of the season’s biggest plays, even if it was overshadowed by a debate about hustle. Cervelli guaranteed his chapter in Atlanta’s 2019 story with a three-hit debut wearing his new teammates’ gear. Hechavarría’s OPS is 211 points higher than his career mark with six other MLB franchises. Hamilton, who couldn’t hit anything in Kansas City this season, has stolen every base in sight and notched a 14th-inning, game-winning hit against a red-hot division rival.

Atlanta should be the poster child for why the front-office handwringing over the waiver-wire trade deadline should disappear. Teams have plenty of time to make major roster adjustments before July 31 and there are proven avenues to overcome injuries before rosters expand. The Braves lost five regulars and haven’t missed a beat. It will not always work quite like this, but teams can make it work.