The Atlanta Braves have been rumored with a desire to add a right-handed bench bat. Ironically, they made a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon bringing back fan favorite and great teammate, Matt Diaz.
Diaz was non-tendered in the offseason as the Braves felt he would be too expensive through arbitration. Diaz had expressed that he would take what he made last year, but the Braves were not interested in paying him the $2 million or so that he made in 2010. Instead, they rolled the dice with Joe Mather for a minor league deal. Mather has not been with the team for close to 2 months now.
Diaz’s presence with the team has been missed. Especially against left-handed pitchers. They have hit a league worst in average and OBP this year. Diaz has hit .295/.395/.362 against lefties this year.
The Braves won’t have to wait for Diaz to be a part of the team. He is in the lineup tonight against John Lannan and the Washington Nationals. Lannan has won th...
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