The Atlanta Braves made an unsurprising move on Wednesday, parting ways with Gwinnett starting pitcher Chasen Shreve. The struggles to transition into a longer role for the reliever made it impossible to continue to give the pitcher starts that could benefit arms with far higher upside.
Atlanta has a healthy level of desperation to find help in both the bullpen and rotation, making it paramount that the team does everything in their power to make the best use of the innings pitched with the Gwinnett Stripers.
If Shreve's name is familiar to Atlanta fans, it is because this is the organization where the reliever was drafted and made his debut. Making his debut in 2014, the reliever replaced Luis Avilán on the active roster. Since that time, Shreve has bounced around the league for the last decade, spending time with the Yankees, Pirates, Mets, Cardinals, Reds, Tigers, and Rockies. He made his return to Atlanta this past offseason as a longshot contributor.
Atlanta Sends Chasen Shreve Packing But Opens the Door for More Meaningful Contributors
The Braves attempted to follow the path of Reynaldo López, converting from a relief role into a surprise starting option. While there is a clear talent gap, the move made sense and was at least a worthy gamble that simply didn't fall Shreve's way. If the veteran wishes to continue pitching it shouldn't be difficult to find a potential landing spot.
With the number of struggling bullpens, teams could view the veteran as a potential investment. A failing team could bring Shreve back into a relief role and hope to turn the veteran's season around, potentially flipping the reliever ahead of this year's trade deadline. No matter how it plays out, Shreve has turned in a solid career that simply didn't fit a final chapter in Atlanta.
Despite the team's desperation for bullpen options, it was the right decision to part ways with the veteran reliever. Atlanta has a myriad of young arms that are more deserving of the innings and clearly lack a rotation or bullpen spot for the veteran. The team will continue to cycle through former Braves, however, as it appears former closer Craig Kimbrel is next up in Atlanta's attempts to find a cheap answer to their bullpen woes.