The Atlanta Braves made two roster moves today which may come as a surprise to some.
Takashi Saito was released today, though Frank Wren said that his contract required that this be done at the end of the season. Saito had a solid year with the Braves as he posted a 2.83 ERA in 54 innings with them. He struck out 69 batters over those 54 innings. He was a solid arm for the Braves, though after being injured in the middle of the season, he was unable to pitch on consecutive days. He was also injured in September and missed the Braves’ series with the San Francisco Giants. Needless to say, his age was greater than the risk involved in having him.
The other move that the Braves made was to drop Melky Cabrera. He was acquired in the Javier Vazquez trade that sent Vazquez and Boone Logan to the Yankees for Cabrera, lefty Mike Dunn and a highly regarded pitching prospect in Arodys Vizcaino.
Cabrera was a frustrating player for the Braves this season. He hit .255 with 4 home runs, 42 rbis, and a .317 OBP and .354 slugging % in 147 games. His home runs were the lowest that he had hit in his short major league career.
He proved to be a defensive liability at times for the Braves with plays that looked horrible and proved to be costly.
Cabrera was paid 3.1 million dollars this year. He would have entered into his third season of arbitration and would have received an increase.
The money save by releasing Cabrera and Saito will presumably go toward paying the arbitration eligible players or help them acquire a big bat for their outfield.
Original Story:
http://www.tomahawktalk.com/2010/10/b...
