Braves sign Chris Volstad

This wouldn't merit a post in late July or early December, but since it's late October, why not: The Braves have signed Chris Volstad, who pitched in the Indianapolis rotation this season and made one appearance with the Bucs back in June.

#Braves signed RHPs Chris Volstad and Connor Little and LH Bryan Morgado to minor league deals. Volstad 3.18 ERA, 1.298 WHIP in AAA in '15

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienAJC) October 30, 2015

Volstad has obvious drawbacks -- despite the sort of height that's supposed to correlate with a big fastball, he's a soft-tosser, and strikeouts aren't a big part of his game. As Triple-A depth goes, though, he isn't bad. He shouldn't be your team's sixth, or seventh, or eighth starting pitching option, but if there's a rash of injuries or you need a spot starter for a doubleheader, Volstad is reasonably capable. Signing with the Braves was a smart career move on his part -- after Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran, there's a ton of uncertainty in Atlanta's rotation, so he might end up being needed there a lot more than he was in Pittsburgh in 2015. Here's wishing him luck.