Jim Johnson gets another chance, signs one-year deal with Braves
They still cringe in Oakland when they hear the name Jim Johnson — the closer the A’s acquired in a trade, paid $10 million, then watched as he crashed and burned.
Johnson was one of the biggest MLB busts of 2014, finishing the season with a 7.09 ERA in 53.1 innings for Oakland and Detroit, which is where he landed when the A’s finally cut him loose.
Baseball loves a redemption story, though (and buying low), so the Atlanta Braves are giving Johnson another chance. They announced Wednesday that they’ve signed him to a one-year contract.
As if often the case this time of year, teams are willing to forgive recent failures if they think there’s some potential rattling around in a player they can buy for cheap. In the case of Johnson, the Braves are looking back to 2011 and 2012, when he saved 101 games for the Baltimore Orioles, leading the league both seasons, thanks in large part to his sinker.
The Braves will pay Johnson $1.6 million in base salary, plus a potential $900,000 in incentives, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. That seems like a lot for a pitcher who was a trainwreck last season, but baseball teams aren’t shy about spending. Look no further than Wednesday’s other relief pitcher news: The Royals giving Luke Hochevar $20 million for two years, coming off Tommy John surgery.
In the case of Johnson, he was never right last year. He failed immediately upon joining the A’s, getting booed on opening day and blowing leads in his first two appearances.
Things have to go better for him in Atlanta, where they have an established star closer in Craig Kimbrel and finished with the 11th best bullpen ERA in 2014. The Braves don’t need much from Johnson, so the pressure should be off.
If he can find himself — get his sinker sinking and get his mind right — then he could be a wise buy for the Atlanta front office. At this point, that’s just not something to bank on.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
