Monday, December 14, 2009

Trading proves difficult

Wren faced a deadline over the weekend, and unable to trade Kelly Johnson before it came and went. The end result: Kelly Johnson is essentially "released."

GM's had to decide this weekend whether to offer contracts (arbitration) to the players they controlled, or let them become free agents. Frank Wren and the Braves determined not to offer contracts to Kelly Johnson or Ryan Church (who they'd designated for assignment last week). Essentially this means the Braves were not willing to pay Johnson the close to $3 million he'd likely earn in arbitration to be a backup, and they don't forsee him being an everyday player on their roster this year. Ryan Church didn't have much chance, he proved to another team that he couldn't stay healthly enough help make a push.

What this means:

Great news for Prado. Looks like the Braves are committed to letting him play everyday (and all braves fans collectively... FINALLY).

Jeff Francouer has a chance to make the Braves look foolish. With the release of Church, Wren and the Braves have nothing to show for letting this potential superstar go. Whether he'll return to more consistent days remains to be seen.

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