Which veteran free agent is the key to a dominant Atlanta Braves bench?

MLB.com thinks the return of Kevin Pillar could help the Braves bench.

After a flurry of moves during the offseason, the Atlanta Braves find themselves with three open roster spots on the bench. I assume that one of those spots will be filled by Luis Guillorme and maybe a second will be filled by David Fletcher. That would still leave one extra roster spot that would need to be filled. 

Mark Bowman of MLB.com has an idea of who could be the other bench player the Braves could pick up. He suggests that the Braves will bring back veteran Kevin Pillar. Pillar played for Atlanta last season and appeared in 81 games and finished with a .228 batting average with 10 doubles, nine homers, and 32 RBI.

Pillar served as a bench player for the Braves last year and he found himself in multiple clutch situations where he pulled through when the Braves needed him the most. He is a veteran presence that Atlanta could use in the clubhouse to help the younger guys through the 162-game grind. 

"The Braves need a right-handed-hitting outfielder who can play each of the positions and occasionally spell Kelenic in left field. Pillar could log time in left field and occasionally spell Harris in center field. Kelenic’s versatility across the outfield could also create some playing time for Pillar." - Bowman

A reunion of Pillar and the Braves makes a lot of sense for both parties. Atlanta needs an outfielder off of the bench to give Harris, Acuna, and Kelenic a break and they could get Pillar for cheap. Pillar is 35 years old and is weighing his options in free agency at the moment. This would give him another year of stability in Atlanta.

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