The Atlanta Braves have continually cycled through minor league relievers this season in an effort to aid a dollar store bullpen. With how far the season has fallen, this isn't the worst strategy. However, it would've been ideal if the front office had been allowed to bring in proven arms to help support what was believed to be a contending core. Whether it was cheap ownership or on the shoulders of the front office is up for debate.
A fallout of this has been the high overturn, which includes recently released reliever Kevin Herget.
Herget was added after the New York Mets decided to part ways with the struggling reliever. The veteran finding a landing spot in Atlanta didn't come as a surprise with the desperation the Braves had to find answers.. However, it was a short-lived signing with Herget's demotion causing the veteran the opt to take his chances in free agency.
This was a bit of a surprise when you consider how volatile Atlanta's pen has been. The bar for Herget to work his way back into Atlanta's plans is set incredibly low.
Braves Made the Right Decision Parting Ways with Kevin Herget
Making the decision all the stranger is the fact that Herget left the Mets for the same reason and now has returned to the franchise on a minor league deal. A player who didn't want to deal with working his way back up from Gwinnett in Atlanta became a free agent and now has signed a minor league deal with a team that has a clearly superior bullpen. The decision-making is a bit odd for a veteran who continues to bounce around the league.
For Atlanta, this is no great loss with Herget being easy to replace in the next weeks of the season. There is a reason why the Braves were already demoting the veteran, and finding someone to throw minor league innings with his potential ceiling isn't going to be difficult. With the Braves continuing to fall through the standings, there is some question as well whether the team will opt to pack it in for the rest of the year.
Simply running with the current options on the roster and looking to sell off veteran pieces seems the clear path forward. No matter what that looks like, the team made the right decision parting ways with Herget. The veteran has limited upside, and the lack of landing spots bears this out.