The Atlanta Braves agreed to a $600,000 minor league deal with free-agent outfielder Travis Snider on Tuesday. Snider hasn't resurfaced in the big leagues since 2015, when he hit .232/.313/.350 with four home runs and 28 RBI in 265 plate appearances over 87 games with the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates. The left-handed hitter spent the 2019 campaign at the Triple-A level for the Diamondbacks, slashing .294/.402/.497 with 11 long balls and 41 RBI in 368 plate appearances over 93 games. Now 33 years old, the former top prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays -- he was drafted 14th overall in the first round in 2006 -- will try to carve out a role as a reserve outfielder for Atlanta if he impresses this spring. You can safely ignore Snider everywhere.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have released more than 60 minor league players over the last couple of weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic, with veteran right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson and outfielder Travis Snider among them. Some of the other names include outfielder Dalton Pompey and pitchers Aaron Blair, Mauricio Cabrera, Damien Magnifico, Michael Tonkin and David Huff. Jackson, 36, had a rough 9.58 ERA in 67 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays and Tigers in 2019. But he was a key piece of Oakland's rotation down the stretch in 2018 and has pitched for more teams than any player in MLB history with 14. Snider, 32, hasn't been in the big leagues since 2015, but the former first-round pick hit .294/.402/.497 in 93 games with Triple-A Reno last season.
