Braves tried to trade Chris Johnson, willing to pay large portion of contract

Atlanta was confident in Chris Johnson's ability to produce consistently but the organization now appears prepared to move on. The Braves have tried to trade Johnson on a number of occasions, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, and the club was even willing to pay a significant portion of his current contract.

While the Braves are hoping to deal the veteran infielder, he has not drawn a notable amount of interest. Johnson is known for being a reliable and consistent third base option, however he is batting .233/.288/.329 to complement one home run and seven RBIs through 29 games this season.

Johnson, 30, was signed to an extension worth $23.5 million over three seasons after the Braves acquired him in the Justin Upton trade. The deal was met with skepticism and Johnson is still due $21 million through the end of the 2017 season. Although he has proven he can be a valuable option against left-handed pitching, Johnson has struggled against right-handed arms and is not known to be a plus defender.

Frank Wren and the Braves have not been hesitant with regard to extensions after signing Andrelton Simmons, Freddie Freeman, former closer Craig Kimbrel, and Julio Teheran to extensive deals. Johnson batted .321/.358/.457 while posting 12 home runs and 68 RBIs in 2013 but since has not had a notable amount of offensive success.

Johnson has not seen a lot of playing time over the last two months because of a hand injury and Juan Uribe has thrived since joining the Braves. Uribe is batting .290/.343/.387 through 50 games and is not as much of a defensive liability.

The Braves have consistently attempted to deal Johnson and the organization will likely continue to do so. He might be attractive to a contending team in pursuit of a right-handed bat of the bench and the asking price might not be too high given Johnson's struggles.