Braves surprisingly add 2 recently cut Phillies players

The Braves claimed a former Phillies reliever and outfielder on Friday.

Amid rumors that the Atlanta Braves are interested in stealing away star free-agent J.T. Realmuto from the Philadelphia Phillies, the National League East division rival went ahead and added two recently cut players who formerly donned red pinstripes on Friday.

According to the Braves team transactions page, they claimed RHP Victor Arano and outfielder Kyle Garlick off waivers from the Phillies, filling the last two openings on their 40-man roster. Arano, 25, and Garlick, 28, were designated for assignment on Monday to clear room on the Phillies 40-man roster for infielder C.J. Chatham and reliever Archie Bradley.

Arano pitched 73 games for the Phillies across the 2017-19 seasons, going a combined 3-2 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.138 WHIP, and 80-23 strikeouts-to-walks ratio spanning 74 2/3 innings and 17 games finished. The Mexico native underwent elbow surgery in 2019 and missed the entire 2020 season with a shoulder injury.

The Phillies acquired Garlick from the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers last February for minor-league left-hander Tyler Gilbert. The California native outfielder showed signs of some power in his rookie season with the Dodgers in 2019, slashing .250/.321/.521 with four doubles, three home runs, and six RBI across 30 games and 53 plate appearances.

Donning red pinstripes in 2020, however, Garlick struggled to produce similar numbers — slashing only .136/.174/.182 with a double and three RBI spanning 23 plate appearances.

Arano and Garlick are not the only former Phillies players now on the Braves 40-man roster. They join right-handed starting pitcher Charlie Morton, southpaw starter Drew Smyly, catcher Travis d’Arnaud (once dealt to acquire Roy Halladay), and Ender Inciarte (former Rule 5 Draft pick).

And, on the Braves coaching staff, former Phils notably include pitching coach Rick Kranitz, catching coach Sal Fasano, and batting practice pitcher Tomas Perez.

Hopefully, Realmuto does not join this list in the coming weeks as spring training gets underway.