The Braves announced today they have given righty Freddy Garcia his unconditional release. Earlier this month, Garcia told MLB.com's Mark Bowman he'd retire rather than return to Triple-A. Garcia pitched in five games this spring, allowing nine earned runs in 17 innings. He would have earned $1.5MM had he made the Braves' Opening Day roster.
Garcia, 37, posted a 4.37 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 2.02 HR/9, and 41.9% groundball rate in 80 1/3 innings for the Orioles and Braves last year. The Braves lost Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy this year to Tommy John surgery, and have also placed Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd on the DL. Minor and Floyd hope to be activated in April and May, respectively. The Braves seem to be planning to open the season with a four-man rotation of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, David Hale, and Gus Schlosser, with Ervin Santana joining the mix around the season's second week.
That’s no way to threat your number 2 starter.
He wasn’t going to be the ace?
He won a playoff game. Not many people can say that.
He won 6 playoff games actually (played in 11). In 2005, he got the W for the White Sox, 4th game in the World Series … which was all it took to beat the NL Champs, the Houston Astros. That was then and this now. Garcia isn’t what he used to be. Not just him though, it’s a universal truth and it can be an unwelcome one some times.
thought he was a shoe in considering the status of the rotation in Atlanta.
Fredi Gonzalez said recently that they will have Minor, Santana and Floyd ready by the end of April.
No need to keep Garcia for 3 or 4 weeks.
Santana will be in the roatation by the end of the first week of April minor by the second week and Floyd by the end of may
That’s extremely optimistic on Santana and Minor. And in Floyd’s case you have no idea what you’re getting, at least at first. This is a real dumpster fire.
Good thing Floyd is the teams 7th starter right at the time he is ready.
Hardly. More like #3 after Teheran and Santana. You’re WAY too high on unproven young prospects.
Or not very high on Floyd. Calm down please.
Well, that makes some sense. I was not aware of the ready dates for these three.
they’re planning on floyd being ready, but thats not something that should be assumed. guess they just simply didnt want to pay him after sheling out the dough for santana.
That’s … odd. He must have looked awful.
Looked better than Hale.
My guess is that the Braves will pick up a veteran starter that gets waived this week. Rumor has it Tommy Hanson could possibly get released. Maybe an Atlanta reunion for him.
but for Hanson to have been released means he was not very good. And if you look at the current situation in Texas, its about the same as Atlanta.
And Hanson has had an ugly spring.
Yes he has had a poor spring but the braves are just looking for a gap filler until Floyd, Santana, and Minor are ready. Garcia didn’t want to pitch anywhere but the majors and so they didn’t want to drag a 37 year old out and then release him mid season. Hanson could be transitioned to the bullpen after a couple starts. Not saying it will be Hanson either, just thought of it as a possibility. I kind of hope they decide to trade Mejia or another prospect for a quality 4th starter. Time will tell but my guess is we get another guy from outside the system.
I’d love to say Frank Wren doesn’t do reunion tours, but he picked Jordan Schafer out of the garbage so never say never I guess (although it was probably more of them feeling sorry for Schafer than it was anything else). I personally don’t want to see Hanson anywhere near the Braves roster. His best year was his rookie season in 09, and its gone quickly down hill ever since.
And Mejia has practically no trade value whatsoever. Yeah, he can rake the ball that’s pretty obvious. But the Braves have held onto him for so long (now going on his 3rd season at AAA) that they’re probably not going to get anything more than “cash considerations” for him. I can’t recall a prospect the Braves have mishandled this bad in the last 20 years.
Tommy Hanson hasn’t looked to good in a Texas uni but I think he’s the lesser of two evils if it comes down to him versus Joe Saunders. I’m rooting against both of them and pulling for Ross. I think he’s earned it. Give Tommy Hanson his money and show him the door. But I’m also pulling for Atlanta and they shouldn’t calling the recently-released Tommy Hanson.
Life lesson: If you’ve got this redhead that you used know really well and she or he (I don’t judge) is on the rebound, don’t get back together. Don’t do it. It’s no good, it always ends bad. I’m telling you. It’ll cost you some money, it’s never like it used to be, he/she probably has some baggage from the previous thing … and it’s twice as bad if she or he wrecked their car a year or two ago, doing something stupid.
Be careful. Seriously. I’ve seen lesser men themselves get wrecked by these gingers on the bounce.
Well at least Hanson has or had some promise before things derailed. Saunders is not much more than a #5 or a spot starter. Unfortunately the Rangers rotation is in shambles. There is rumbling that Darvish may not be ready for opening day. Ross has been solid but I love his flexibility in the pen. However, if you earn the right in ST then I am all for it.
I love your analogy btw. LOL.
Hanson has split contract, texas can keep him in majors or put him at triple a..
They will keep him. I am pretty sure he just makes more on the opening day roster which almost seems inevitable.
Enter Aaron Harang…
Tim… you are a posting machine today. Way to set the example.
Minor is looking more like the last week of April at best. He has barely pitched in ST. Hale is late May. Wren signed very few, did a pile of extensions and has a rotation that is very suspect.
He is going with lots of ? marks in his rotation and Gattis who has not been impressive at the plate. Good luck getting a WC slot.
gattis will be streaky, just have to hope he makes the adjustments. more worried about him hoilding up over 162 more than anything.
not loving where my team’s at right now, but i’m still pumped for opening day.
Suddenly the Cubs rotation doesn’t look half bad…
Love your optimism. Go, Cubs, Go!
Pretty weak looking rotation even with Minor and Floyd. Considering injury and rack records, no one really stands out. Teheran has been great, but no track record. Minor has had injury concerns, Floyd has had injury concerns and has not always been that good pitching. Wood’s effectiveness as a starter is questionable. Santana yo yo’s between good years and bad years. If anyone should try to trade for Samardja of the Cubs, it’s the braves.
im a huge atl fan, and even i have to admit thats a shaky rotation. two great pitchers, one solid one, and a handful of rookies/question marks. not what i was expecting a month ago.
A rotation that lost 2/5 of its starters to TJ in spring training might be a bit shaky? No way?!? Fact of the matter is it returns Minor, Teheran and Wood who were all very good last year. Santana and Hudson is likely a wash, maybe a slight upgrade. Medlen hurts, but the rotation is still very good. Name value is overrated.
Minor is no guarantee to be right back like normal. Teheran is good, Wood is showing promise. But, Hale? Unproven.
We’re holding onto Floyd being a backup, and he’s coming back from TJ too.
Its not like Minors out because of anything baseball or arm related, youre acting like he had arm surgery. He just needs innings. Regarding Hale, just about every 5th starter in baseball is “unproven” or a question mark. There is a very good chance someone equal to or better than Garcia gets released and can be had for cheaper if they want an arm.
minors out because of his shoulder… that is both baseball and arm related.
If it isn’t related to his arm, why is he starting spring training so later? I seem to remember some shoulder soreness delaying his throwing program.
He started Spring Training late because of a urinary tract surgery, which was not baseball related. They shut him down for a few days because of a sore shoulder as a precaution. He wasn’t going to be ready for opening day regardless. As far as I know, he hasn’t had any serious arm injuries since he made his big league debut in 2010.
If Schlosser and Hale look like they can put up similar numbers to Garcia, I’m all for giving the young guys a shot.
Its not like Minors out because of anything baseball or arm related, youre acting like he had arm surgery. He just needs innings. Regarding Hale, just about every 5th starter in baseball is “unproven” or a question mark. There is a very good chance someone equal to or better than Garcia gets released and can be had for cheaper if they want an arm.
Losing your best pitcher has nothing to do with name value and everything to do with losing your best pitcher.
I think Minor’s shoulder was just precautionary, but after the way this spring’s gone, I’m not taking anything for granted. Wood will be on an innings limit. Other than that, I do love those three. Santana should give some much needed innings. Good arms, but they can’t handle any more significant injuries, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed through all 162.
Regardless, I’m pumped for Opening Day and I’ll be tuning in on a daily basis to see how this thing turns out.
Teheran has had 1 good year. Wood hasn’t started in the majors and from what I’ve read is better suited for the bullpen. Minor’s been hurt. Santana is hot and cold. Counting on Beachy’s recovery was risky as he didn’t exactly light the world on fire last year when he tried to return. Medlen hurt alot, but pitching depth should have been a concern in the offseason.
Wood has started in the majors, Minor was pushing himself too hard to get back, and Schlosser is just as capable as Sweaty Garcia
there’s no reason to think teheran’s yr was fluky, but i understand the concern there, especially with so few proven arms. he’s solid, though.
For the majority of the offseason, they had every reason to think Medlen, Minor, Teheran, and wood were going to be there. They signed Floyd and Garcia for depth (I wasn’t in love with either move, but they seemed to just be run on the mill dept signings), and between those guys and Hale and Beachy seemed to have a full rotation.
Garcia. Should have been kept. Hale is not worth a roster spot. Also Garcia would have been a good leader for a team with no leadership
I’ll agree with Garcia over Hale but, in the moment, it’s got to be a close decision. Maybe going with Garcia might not have looked good for the longer term projection. I’m believing that the Braves have done well in judging their starting pitching problems this Spring Training and this decision is one that’s been well-thought out. On the subject of leaders and leadership, I think we agree on Garcia being such a guy but let’s not confuse experience with leadership by shorting the rest of the Braves players on the field. They’ll be fine without McCann, Hudson, Chipper, Ross, etc.
I’ll agree with Garcia over Hale but, in the moment, it’s got to be a close decision. Maybe going with Garcia might not have looked good for the longer term projection. I’m believing that the Braves have done well in judging their starting pitching problems this Spring Training and this decision is one that’s been well-thought out. On the subject of leaders and leadership, I think we agree on Garcia being such a guy but let’s not confuse experience with leadership by shorting the rest of the Braves players on the field. They’ll be fine without McCann, Hudson, Chipper, Ross, etc.
Why do people assume every veteran is a leader?
Maybe Garcia > Hale. But is he $1M better than Hale? April 8 is the date that keeps coming up for Santana, April 20 for Minor. Whomever breaks camp as the 5th starter will only get a couple starts before Santana gets back, the 4th starter may get 4 starts before Minor returns.
I forgot about David Hale
Even with Hale, we need all the SP help we can get. Bad move.
It’s Freddy Garcia. Pitchers as good as him can be found anywhere.
It’s Freddy Garcia. Pitchers as good as him can be found anywhere.
There will be plenty of people released or placed on waivers prior to the season
Well here’s what I think. You knew exactly what Garcia was going to give you. With Schlosser making a great case for a bullpen spot, that frees up Hale and Wood. Both have much higher ceilings than Garcia. Also, with Santana and Minor coming, and Floyd supposedly an option, there would be no room for Garcia anyway. Santana, Minor, Teheran, Wood, and Floyd/Hale. Really, it comes down to whether or not you want an aging, over the hill vet to provide consistent,but consistently mediocre, innings for a month, or whether you would rather hand the ball to a young prospect (Hale) to either get experience, or even win the job from Floyd when the time comes. Worst case, Hale and Floyd should be comparable to Garcia. It does make sense when you consider the possibility that Hale might rise to the occasion and show them something that Garcia will never have.
Also, Minor’s injury was not pitching related so there is not any real injury concern there. Santana can regress a little and still be good. Beachy was not a guarantee to be any better than Wood, especially throwing 85 mph. Medlen hurts, but Santana should alleviate some of that. Really, the rotation should not be too much worse than the preseason expectation. Besides, I think we have yet to see the best of Teheran.
He ended his big league career by beating the Mets.
Seems appropriate.
Yea the urinary tract was an issue in the beginning and if I had to guess, there probably isn’t much to the shoulder. Bum shoulders can turn into massive injuries for pitchers, though, so let’s hope it doesn’t turn into anything worse. Probably nothing, but I admit there’s good reason to worry, especially with the way this season is shaping up.
I do like that they’re playing it safe, though. I tell you what, man, Spring Training can not end soon enough.
Wood has started in the majors.
Innings have to be a concern for Wood, though – he totaled about 140 between the minors and the major league team, so about 170 total has to be the upper limit. That won’t get him through the whole year.
ATL usually increases their young pitcher’s workloads by about 20% per season. 170 is right on the mark.
28 starts at 6 innings a pop. I think that’s about what you can expect out of Wood, frankly.
Maybe because they have a long list of experiences dealing with the ups and downs of major league baseball that have probably increased their knowledge of the game.
You don’t have to be the manager or the team captain to have a positive impact on the development of younger players, and that’s usually what people refer to when they talk about someone showing leadership skills in baseball. Unless its, say Erik Bedard, there’s a decent chance that having that knowledge/experience around the younger players is going to be good for them in some way.
Minor has made 62 starts the last two seasons. His injury this offseason that has him behind schedule is related to a very… personal… injury and a bit of shoulder soreness as he tries to recover. I’m not too worried about him any more than any other pitcher.
He’s out because he had a urinary tract surgery and couldn’t throw for a month or so. He was already behind schedule and had some minor soreness as he got back up to speed. Worth keeping an eye on, sure, but to say he’s out because he has an injured shoulder is really misleading.
He was placed on the DL because of his shoulder. There was no other reason. Not saying he has a serious injury, just that that’s what happend. 15 day DL with shoulder soreness.
my comment disappeared, which is weird.
anyways, I never said he had a serious injury. I said he was out because of his shoulder, which is what the official release from the atlanta braves stated when they placed him on the 15 day dl. there wasn’t any other reason. not sure how that could be misleading, it was pretty straightforward.
I can understand preferring upside, but considering the injuries are really testing their depth…who’s next if someone else gets hurt? After Scholosser there have to be some pretty unappealing, not-ready-for-prime-time options. For the first month or so, it seems like they don’t have any cushion at all. Garcia isn’t very good, but he’s serviceable enough and gives you a bit of extra depth.
Not likely, look at how he did last season. Especially in the playoffs. He’s a cheap, reliable arm that we already had. It’s not like he was breaking the bank.
How far away are J.R. Graham and Lucas Sims?
Graham is probably close enough he could get called up for a cup of coffee in the fall. Sims has 150 IP in his pro career, and A ball is as high as he’s gotten. I don’t think it’s realistic to think he’ll be helpful to the big league team this year at all.
Cody Martin is a guy I could see getting called up if they need another spot starter, though.