While the arbitration chaos swirls around Major League Baseball on January 8th, the Atlanta Braves made a couple of sneaky roster moves to help their pitching staff depth and overall organizational changes.
The Atlanta Braves announced today that they have claimed former Athletics reliever Ken Waldichuk off waivers, and to make room for him on the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated utilityman Vidal Brujan for assignment, who will now go through the dreaded DFA limbo. This is a low-risk move from the Braves’ front office, as they continue to reshape their bullpen and pitching staff.
More MLB on Heavy: Braves Floated as Trade Destination for Blue Jays’ 2-Time All-Star, $131 Million Starter
Braves Claim Ken Waldichuk, DFA Vidal Brujan
The Atlanta Braves had avoided arbitration with Vidal Brujan back in November, which was a split deal depending on where he spent his 2026 season. Well, the Braves decided that the $850k that they agreed on was enough for Atlanta to not care about where Brujan ends up.
In what was a disastrous season for the Braves last year, Vidal Brujan ended up taking 41 at-bats for Atlanta, and he hit two doubles, but had no home runs and a .317 slugging percentage.
GettyMESA, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 18: Ken Waldichuk #30 of the Oakland Athletics poses for a portrait during photo day at HoHoKam Stadium on February 18, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
As for Ken Waldichuk, he’s pitched in 175.2 innings over two years at the big-league level and has posted a career 5.28 ERA and 165 strikeouts.
He made 22 starts with the Athletics in 2023, but was certainly looked at as a mid-to-bottom-of-the-rotation arm. It’s unclear what role he would even play with the Braves. The likely option is that he receives an invite to the Braves’ spring camp, and maybe he has a chance to be first man up if a member of the Braves’ bullpen goes down with injury.
More MLB on Heavy: Former Braves All-Star Infielder Signs With Twins on Minor League Deal
Braves’ Pitching Staff Options
The Atlanta Braves are still looking to make one more big add this offseason on the pitching front, according to executive Alex Anthopoulos.
They remain to be linked to semi-high-profile free agent starters, but no deals appear to be close at this time. That list includes Chris Bassitt, Patrick Corbin, Zack Littell, and maybe Zac Gallen.
Ken Waldichuk does have 2026 projections from BaseballReference.com. The baseball stat page predicts Waldichuk will pitch 47 innings next season and post a 4.60 ERA.
The 28-year-old has several arbitration years ahead of him, so if he wants to continue playing Major League Baseball, he will have to fill the stat page in some capacity, as he has not recorded a big-league appearance over the past two seasons.
More MLB on Heavy: Paul Blackburn Delivers Blunt Admission In Difference Between Mets and Yankees Clubhouse
Braves Claim Southpaw Pitcher from Athletics Off Waivers, DFA Vidal Brujan