Braves Release Glavine?!

by
June 3, 2009

That’s what Rosenthal is saying:

Tom Glavine is done in Atlanta.

According to major-league sources, the Braves released Glavine on Wednesday, just a day after the two-time Cy Young Award winner threw six scoreless innings in his latest rehab start.

Glavine was to be paid $1 million for his first day on the active roster, $1.25 million for 30 days on the roster and another $1.25 million for 90 days on the roster, bringing the total possible value of the deal to $4.5 million.

The Braves told Glavine that he was being released because his velocity is down, one source said. However, Glavine was throwing only 76-78 miles per hour in spring training and in recent starts had increased that to 83-86 miles per hour.

Whoa.

As I wrote earlier today, I thought the Braves were obligated — out of both a sense of history and based on Glavine’s commitment to rehab and apparent, though qualified success — to at least give him a chance to pitch.

Are the Braves in so much need of $1 million that they couldn’t stand to at least give him a try? If the Braves are so unwilling to pay off a roster incentive to even a legend like Glavine, why on Earth would anyone else dare sign a deal with them that contains a roster incentive? Above all else: at any point in the last 20 years did it seem possible that Tom Glavine’s career in a Braves uniform would end via a club release?

I’ll await more information before passing final judgment, but if, as Rosenthal’s article claims, Tom Glavine was really throwing 86 last night and not walking a bunch of guys, he was basically where he has been for the past 5-6 years. That doesn’t strike me as a performance-based release. That strikes me as a money move, and with this particular player on this particular team, with this particularly small amount of money at play, that’s shameful.

(thanks to Chris for the heads up)


20 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
pete
14 years ago

I get what you’re saying, but it’s a good thing they finally decided to draw a line in the sand on the basing personnel decisions on the whims of the casual fan.

You might argue that this was the wrong place to draw the line (how about starting with Francoeur instead?), but bringing back Glavine in the first place was begging to be put in this position.

0
Hizouse
14 years ago

In the end, I’m glad I won’t have to see Glavine prolong Hanson’s stay in Gwinnett.

But good golly, what a poor way to handle the situation.  Wren must have really, really been hoping Glavine was going to hurt himself or get shelled in his last couple appearances.  There never should have been a contract in the first place, but this is a situation that should have been anticipated and handled months ago—instead of a release on the same day Glavine is quoted as saying he’s ready.

0
kyle s
14 years ago

the braves did this in the most dickish way imaginable, but i’m not going to shed any tears for tom. he’ll catch on somewhere and have a chance to prove himself.

0
Ron
14 years ago

Is Glavine a Boras client?

0
Grant
14 years ago

Could there be a union greivance?

0
Wade
14 years ago

For shame!  Being a Braves fan, this was a bitter pill to swallow.  All those “It’s a business” totological chimers can maintain their shallow, materialistic perspective all they want, but this was a BAD move.  We all want to see Hanson, but Tommy shouldn’t have been completely shafted like this.  One million dollars?  Are ya’ serious?
“Hey Tommy!  Thanks for the 2 Cy years and the World Series MVP caliber pitching all those years!  Now bend over—-”

Boo!

Yeah, yeah, emotional spouting.  That’s all I got right now…

0
Jeff Berardi
14 years ago

Oh, spare me. They made the right baseball decision and the right business decision. What would you rather do, win games or indulge in pointless sentimentality? Bring on Hanson.

0
kendynamo
14 years ago

if thats true, that the move is, in my estimation, the coolest thing the braves organization has ever done.  kudos to you, braves.

0
Will
14 years ago

That seems a shame, if true. The class move would be to put him on the roster for a day, have a big wing-ding at Turner Field and then let him retire.

0
Mark
14 years ago

Why pay $1m to see if Glavine is any good (he probably isn’t) when you can pay the pro-rated portion of Hanson’s salary (approx $3m) and you know he is?

0
Mark
14 years ago

Whoops, that was supposed to read $300k for Hanson’s salary.

0
David
14 years ago

It seems here that Wren put himself into a lose-lose situation all in terms of PR.  For sentimental reasons, it would have been nice to see Glavs get on the bump one more time.  But for all practical intents and purposes, if Glavine is the best that they can do to fill a spot in the rotation, they have bigger issues than fan backlash.  Spots 1 – 4 are spoken for, Hanson is waiting in the wings, Medlen is showing promise and Campillo is still hanging around.  Realistically, there isn’t much room for a 43 yo who hasn’t been what he once was in many years.  Tip the hat to Glavs for his career and let’s wait 5 years to see him in Cooperstown.  If he is willing, have him come back later in the year for a Tom Glavine day to get his last hurrah in front of the fans on Peach St.

0
Aaron Moreno
14 years ago

The mistake wasn’t in cutting him, it was in signing him in the first place.

0
Craig Calcaterra
14 years ago

Not sure I have any yet.

0
Preston
14 years ago

While I don’t think it was a great signing this spring, I disagree that the situation was the same then and now.  Depth in the rotation is never a bad thing, and the Braves could realistically look at their rotation in the winter and see question marks – how would Kawakami fair – would he be a Kuroda or an Igawa?  Would there be significant injuries to any of the starters?  How would young starters in the minors like Medlen, Campillo, and Hanson look?  Would they possibly need some of those young arms to trade for an outfield bat?  At the start of the season, there was a reasonable argument to be made that Tom Glavine, with an incentive laden contract coming off of surgery, would be a good insurance policy.  Turns out, their pitching has, for the most part, worked out well, so they don’t need him.

0
Wade
14 years ago

Yeah.  Bring up Hanson, sign McLouth, and maybe the fans will forget about Glavine and the integral part he played in our ‘dynasty’.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s a business, blah, blah, blah.  Still stings a little though.

I’ll back Aaron’s comment and Craig’s follow-up on this one.  I was hoping that Craig’s scenario with Tommy’s last day on the roster would come true.  Alas.  Yay business.

Maybe Tommy will conjur up a Skip classic – “So long everybody…”

0
Arun
14 years ago

I’m actually going to say that it wasn’t even a dick move. You’re right Craig, everyone that was there in spring then is still here now. But pitching depth has destroyed the Braves the past couple seasons. Glavine signed the contract knowing the risks. And when the Braves actually needed a 5th starter in the beginning of the year, he wasn’t healthy.

Thankfully, the Braves have had a look of good luck pitching wise this year, and the injury bug hasn’t hit them. They are very much in contention. When 1 or 2 games could make the difference, why waste 1 million on Glavine? That 1 million could very well cost them a playoff apperance.

0
Craig Calcaterra
14 years ago

Bingo, Aaron.  It’s no shame to tell a guy that there’s no room for him. He’s a pro. It’s totally bush to sign him, give him a goal to shoot for, have him work for it, and then take it away like the way they are.

There’s no pitcher there now who wasn’t in the picture in the spring. Tell him thanks for his service and let him go his merry way then.  To do so now, in this way is totally unprofessional.

0
Grant
14 years ago

The four-letter is saying they just traded for McLouth. Thoughts?

0