Upon Further Review

Now that I am more than 24 hours out since I read the Braves announcement that they were going to release Tom Glavine, I think I am in a better place to expand on my feelings about the move.

Basis of the Decision
1. From what I have read, I believe there were many factors that lead to this decision. The first, of course, being financial. Glavine was scheduled to earn $1 million if he made it on the big league roster. Meaning he could throw one pitch, re-injure his shoulder and never pitch again and still earn $1 million. In addition, Glavine could earn up to $2.5 million more if he reached certain milestones.

2. The next reason would be his performance. The Braves have made it very clear that from what they had seen during Glavine’s various rehab starts that they thought his “stuff” wasn’t there anymore. Never mind the 11 scoreless innings he had pitched. That wouldn’t necessarily translate at the big league level.

3. And the final reason, the future. Tommy Hanson’s major league debut may have been pushed back to Sunday because of the rainout on Thursday, but the fact of the matter is, Hanson needed a spot in the rotation to pitch and Glavine was the easiest roster move they could make.

The Handling of the Decision
My main problem with the release of Glavine was the way in which it was handled. I know many people don’t believe Tommy deserved the respect of the Braves organization after he left in 2002 for more money. But just like this decision, there were many factors in play that lead to his departure. While I would not like to get into them now, all you have to do is read either John Schuerholz’s book “Built to Win” for the Braves view of the situation or John Feinstein’s “Between the Black” for Tom’s view. (There could be other books, but those are the two that I have read.)

Even with his departure, Glavine spent 18 years in the Braves organization (1984-2002), earning two Cy Young Awards, making five World Series appearances, winning one WS in 1995 of which he was named MVP of the Series as well as countless All-Star appearances. Not to mention his work within the Atlanta community. A 305 game winner and sure fire Hall of Famer did not deserve to be treated in this way. And that’s the bottom line.

The Future
I am very excited to see Tommy Hanson’s major league debut. I had been writing for a while that I wanted the Braves to bring him up this season so he could gain experience at the Major League level while the Braves worked on ascending to the top of the NL East standings. I feel the same way about Kris Melden. I would like to see him get more experience in the Majors as a starter (not coming out the pen) and in doing so, there needs to be spots open in the rotation. Personally, I would rather they kept Glavine and moved Kenshin Kawakami to the bullpen. Or frankly just move him to another team via a trade. (He’s expensive and very inconsistent.) That would have opened a spot for Hanson to slide into without having to get rid of Tommy. That would also have meant the additional salary which I believe was a major factor in their decision.

Overall
I obviously was not privy to what exactly went down when the Braves rallied the front office around to tell Tommy his services weren’t needed. I don’t know if they offered to have a huge retirement party at Turner Field or if they asked him if he was willing to go to the bullpen to fill in for the newly traded Charlie Morton. All I know is what has been made public, Tommy felt blindsided by the decision and the Braves were unhappy with his progress. I just wish the best for Tom in any of his future endeavors.
(Photo: AP)