Braves are dealing with a free agent utility Chad PinderFanSided’s Robert Murray report (Twitter link). It will be a minor league contract, tweets Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
This is the third minor league contract of the season for longtime A’s valet. He signed with the Reds over the winter but struggled in spring training, scoring just 0.103/. 167/.154. After being told he wouldn’t be on the Opening Day roster, he opted out and quickly signed with the Nationals. Pinder spent over a month in the Washington system playing for Triple-A Rochester. He scored 0.218/.308/.309 in 62 appearances before his release last week.
While it’s not the best start to the year, Pinder offers a much higher level of experience. He played for Oakland in 2016-22, drawing lines .242/.294/.417 in 553 games. He has struggled to reach base – especially against a right-handed throw – but delivers some strength when it comes to holding the platoon advantage. Pinder is a professional .264/.322/.456 smasher against lefties.
On the other side of the ball, the 31-year-old is capable of covering almost anywhere on the diamond. Pinder has had over 250 plays of the major tournament experience at each of the second, third, and stopover bases and in both off-court corner locations. Most of his time is spent in the starting XI and in the corners off the pitch. He will add a flexible right-handed racket for the upper minors.
