Braves claim $4M reliever off waivers from Dodgers — brother of Atlanta's most-hated rival
The Atlanta Braves are just trying to make it to the end of the regular season after the worst one they have had in several years. The Braves are expected to make numerous changes to the roster next season, and some moves are already underway with waiver additions. Additionally, manager Brian Snitker is expected to retire at the end of the season.
“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote. “At 69, though, he's already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”
The Braves are still adding to the team this season, focusing mostly on pitching, as Atlanta has struggled to keep players healthy. On Sunday, they claimed Alexis Diaz off waivers.
“The Braves have claimed Alexis Diaz off waivers from the Dodgers, according to David O’Brien of The Athletic. Atlanta has space available on its 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is necessary to bring Diaz into the organization,” MLBtraderumors.com’s Nick Deeds wrote.
Diaz was just released by the defending World Series Champion Dodgers earlier in the week.
“The Dodgers announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Ben Rortvedt, a move that was previously reported. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder Alex Freeland and designated right-hander Alexis Díaz for assignment,” MLBtraderumors.com’s Darragh McDonald wrote.
49ers Have Perfect WR Trade Target After Jauan Jennings Injury
Tell me where you've heard this before: the San Francisco 49ers just lost another player to injury, as wide receiver Jauan Jennings banged up his shoulder during the 49ers' Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Oh, and tight end George Kittle left with a hamstring injury, too, leaving the cupboard of weapons pretty bare for quarterback Brock Purdy.
The 49ers are already without Brandon Aiyuk, who is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season, so basically, Purdy has Ricky Pearsall and not a whole lot else at his disposal in the passing game right now.
San Francisco almost certainly needs to make a move here, and a perfect trade target may have just surfaced for the club: New York Jets receiver Allen Lazard.
Lazard was a healthy scratch for the Jets in their season opener, a clear indication that he is not in their plans moving forward. He is in the final year of his deal, so New York also has no obligation to him beyond 2025. That means trading the veteran now obviously makes sense.
With Jennings potentially out for a bit, the Niners could definitely stand to add another big-bodied pass-catcher to comprise a red-zone target for Purdy, and with Lazard standing at 6-foot-5, he certainly fits the bill.
Even if Jennings is able to play as soon as next weekend, it would still strongly behoove the 49ers to acquire Lazard. Let's face it: San Francisco needs wide receiver depth. Badly.
Lazard caught 37 passes for 530 yards and six touchdowns as recently as last year, so he remains a productive player. It's true that he has not proven much outside of Aaron Rodgers, but it seems hard to imagine that he would simply forget how to catch the ball without Rodgers throwing it to him.
The Niners could probably bag Lazard for the cheap cost of a seventh-round pick, and he only carries a $4.6 million cap hit for 2025 after taking a pay cut with New York during the offseason. It seems pretty clear that the Jets are done with him, so if they are able to recoup any asset in exchange for Lazard, it's very likely that they would pull the trigger.
The best part for the 49ers is that they wouldn't have to wait until the trade deadline to get a deal done. They could place a call to New York right now and probably hammer out a quick deal.
San Francisco should be getting on this potential trade immediately.
