Jorge Mateo finds a new home

It’s impossible to know what kind of conversations occurred behind closed doors, but I wouldn’t have minded keeping Mateo in the organization — and there’s a pretty good argument he never should have been designated for assignment in the first place.

Ha-Seong Kim is rotting on the bench simply because the Braves paid him $20 million in the offseason. It’s certainly not because of anything he’s done on the field, where he’s been worse offensively, defensively, and on the bases than just about everybody on the roster. At least Mateo offered plus defense and elite speed for those moments when a pinch runner is needed.

On top of that, Jim Jarvis has cooled off considerably after a hot start, and it’s fair to wonder how much longer he should stay on the major-league roster. He’s still young, so if he isn’t going to start most nights, he’s better off continuing to develop in Gwinnett.