The #Angels have acquired RH reliever Jim Johnson and international pool space from the Braves for minor league LHP Justin Kelly. More to come on this.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) November 30, 2017
Not long after we saw Yusmeiro Petit sail away to the Oakland Athletics, Billy Eppler made a move for another reliever.
This trade - yes a trade - sent LHP Justin Kelly to the Braves in return for 34-year-old Jim Johnson and a yet to be announced amount of International Bonus pool money (here we go Ohtani!!!) Also - the Braves still have International Bonus pool money?? UPDATE: The Angels will get $1.21 million in bonus pool money, bumping up their total money to lure Shohei Ohtani to $1.315 million.
Jim Johnson is a 1-time All Star who notched back to back 50 save seasons in 2012 and 2013. However, last season Johnson lost his closer job and blew 9 saves in 31 attempts. His ERA bloated to 5.56 though he did still hold a respectable 4.22 FIP. Also bloated was his 1.48 WHIP. It was a down year for Johnson pretty much all around, but he did maintain a near 10K/9 rate so his ability to generate swing and misses is still there.
Johnson throws a fourseam, sinker, changeup, and curve and averages around 93-94 MPH on his power pitches. Not bad for an “old” dude. Johnson has a career ERA sitting at 3.62 with a 1.319 WHIP and 154 saves.
Johnson’s ERA/FIP the past 4 seasons:
2017: 5.56/4.22
2016: 3.06/2.71
2015: 4.46/3.73
2014: 7.09.5.08
Justin Kelly was a 33rd round pick in the 2016 draft. In his two minor league seasons he has a 4.59 ERA, 1.540 WHIP and 90 Ks in 100 innings.
The price tag on Johnson is a bit steep given his recent performance. It also seems odd to let a guy walk (Petit) for the same price who HAS proved himself lately. I guess we need to trust the process and the bigger picture here. Essentially, the Angels got Johnson for nothing since Kelly wasn’t even a rated propsect AND they got the Brave to kick in bonus pool money (250K+).
Who knows, perhaps Johnson will be this year’s Petit or Parker.
Justin Kelly, we hardly knew you!