Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy non-tendered by Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves had a potentially impactful decision to make on Tuesday evening, and they have chosen to go in a somewhat surprising direction. Earlier in the day, it was reported that the team was expected to tender contracts to both Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy, but just before the Tuesday night deadline, the Braves have passed on issuing contracts to both players, in addition to reliever Gus Schlosser.

Because of the lofty contract terms for Medlen, it isn’t an outright shock to see him non-tendered, and Mark Bowman reports that the two sides could be working on a two-year deal. However, for the time being, both Medlen and Beachy are on the free market for the first time in their respective careers.

Both right-handed pitchers are working back from severe arm trouble, as both missed the entire 2014 season. Kris Medlen is the far more intriguing prospect, given his more recent success at the big league level (3.11 ERA over 197 innings in 2013), but he would have cost the team $5.8 million for the 2015 season, and with uncertainty surrounding his timetable for return, that is a high price to pay.

In the case of Beachy, the right-hander has been banged-up for the whole of two seasons, and given his relatively short track record of big-time success prior to that, he is tough to peg moving forward. Still, it wouldn’t be a shock if Atlanta kept their options open with him moving forward, especially given the relatively cheap price tag.

Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy are no longer members of the Atlanta Braves, and that is noteworthy, but options abound for the new-look front office, led by John Hart and John Coppolella.