Braves rumors: Atlanta will non-tender Jair Jurrjens

The Atlanta Braves are planning on not tendering a contract to right-hander Jair Jurrjens, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com:

pitching-rich #braves plan to non-tender jurrjens

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) November 29, 2012

Heyman notes that the Braves are "pitching-rich," allowing the club to cut ties with the inconsistent Jurrjens.

After posting league-leading numbers to start the 2011 season, Jurrjens tailed off down the stretch and his season was ultimately halted due to injury. The right-hander was then atrocious in 2012, posting an ERA of 6.89 over 11 appearances, including 10 starts, for the Braves.

Jurrjens’ abysmal performance earned him a trip to Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate. The 26-year-old made 14 starts in the minors, posting an ERA of 4.98 over 72 1/3 innings pitched. He finished the season with only 3.5 strikeouts per nine innings at the major league level and allowing 151 hits over 120 2/3 innings between the majors and minors.

Given his former top prospect status and the fact that he maintained an ERA of 3.34 over 108 starts from 2008-11, Jurrjens figures to find another opportunity to pitch if the Braves ultimately do decide to release him. Over six years at the major league level he’s maintained an ERA of 3.62 with 6.0 strikeouts and 3.1 walks per nine innings.