The Braves made a surprising move in releasing both outfielder Melky Cabrera and reliever Takashi Saito. The timing of the move is interesting, but if the team had no intention of bringing them back why wait till after the postseason?
Cabrera, 26, was quite a disappointment in Atlanta after hitting .255 with 4 home runs in 115 games this season. Cabrera made a little over 3 million dollars this season and was set to go to salary arbitration this offseason. Braves GM Frank Wren said in an email to AP that he did not want to go to arbitration based on this past seasons performance.
They also released Takashi Saito, who posted a 2.83 ERA in 56 games this season. Saito, 40, will certainly draw interest on the open market, but it may take some time to develop for him.