Neyer Dishes on Branyan, suggests Dodgers, Nationals, Padres.

Rob Neyer's latest is a look at Russell Branyan's release and the unsurprising result of keeping two marginal lefty-hitting first basemen on the roster.

Notes:

• This opens the door for Juan Miranda, who is "perfectly decent and exceptionally cheap," two things you never want to hear when describing your first baseman.
• Xavier Nady is giving no reason to believe he's still a viable hitter. At 32 and with only one great season under his belt, he's never been a good 1B candidate anyway.
• Adam LaRoche is having a terrible season, probably due to his shoulder injury, which opens the door for a candidate like Branyan on the Nats roster.
• Similarly, Neyer suggests that the San Diego Padres should be close to ending Brad Hawpe's tenure on their club, where Branyan could be a replacement candidate as well.