With his second scoop of the day, FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Braves have released Tom Glavine.
This comes as quite a shock, especially in light of him pitching six scoreless innings in his last rehab start and posting a 2.25 ERA in four outings overall. All indications were that the Braves were about to slot him into their rotation.
Still, it could well be the right move for the team. It looks like the Braves are making a commitment to their younger pitchers, namely Kris Medlen and Tommy Hanson. After two shaky starts to begin his career, Medlen fanned nine and allowed one run over six innings in a win over the Diamondbacks over the weekend. Hanson has a 1.49 ERA and a 90/17 K/BB ratio in 66 1/3 innings in Triple-A.
With the super-two deadline having passed, the Braves can go to Hanson any time they want. Had they opted to give Glavine the spot in the rotation that Medlen was occupying, then it’s doubtful Hanson would have been needed in June. However, now it’s again likely that we’ll see Hanson this month, perhaps with Medlen sliding to the bullpen.
It’s quite realistic that Glavine could have come back and given the Braves a 4.50 ERA in 20-22 starts over the rest of the season. However, the Braves are one of the relatively few teams in baseball that don’t really need another starter like that. Also, they would have been adding at least $2 million-$3 million to their payroll by putting Glavine on the roster. That money can be better used in upgrading the outfield.
Let’s hope this isn’t the end for Glavine. He clearly didn’t want to pitch anywhere other than Atlanta, but after putting in this much time rehabbing, he’s not likely to want to call it a career. Philadelphia, Florida and Milwaukee look like the most obvious destinations for him. There’s been talk of him joining the Nationals in the past, mostly because of the Stan Kasten connection, but it’s doubtful that he’ll want to finish up as part of baseball’s worst team.