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ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA - In a stunning move, the Atlanta Braves released 305-game winner Tom Glavine on Wednesday, just when it seemed he was ready to return to the big leagues.
The 43-year-old Glavine, who was coming back from shoulder and elbow surgery, threw six scoreless innings in a rehab start for Class-A Rome on Tuesday night and proclaimed himself ready to pitch in the majors again.
Instead, the Braves cut him, another move that figures to draw the ire of Atlanta fans after the team failed to re-sign John Smoltz during the offseason.
Glavine described himself as "very surprised" in a text message to The Associated Press. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox called it "the hardest thing I've ever been through."
General manager Frank Wren said the decision had nothing to do with a $1 million bonus that Glavine would have received for being placed on the major league roster. Instead, the team felt it had a better chance to win with a younger pitcher in the rotation.
"This was not a business decision," Wren said. "This was a performance decision."
Top prospect Tommy Hanson will be called up Saturday to start against Milwaukee. Glavine, meanwhile, hasn't decided whether he wants to try to hook on with another team.
"Not sure about pitching," he said in his text.
Glavine was still trying to deal with what appeared to be another bitter split from the Braves.
"We gave him the option, 'If you want to retire, you can retire as a Brave,'" Wren said. "He asked us to release him."
The rest of the team learned the news when players returned to the clubhouse after batting practice. Everyone was caught off guard.
"None of us saw it coming," third baseman Chipper Jones said. "We're all shocked."
The Braves made another major move Wednesday, acquiring All-Star center fielder Nate McLouth from Pittsburgh for three prospects: outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and pitchers Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke.
The 27-year-old McLouth was an All-Star last season and set career highs with a .276 average, 26 homers and 94 RBIs. The Braves desperately needed more offense from an outfield that produced only 10 homers through the first 51 games.
McLouth, who is hitting .256 with nine homers and 34 RBIs this season, fills several needs for the Braves. In addition to bolstering the lineup, he won a Gold Glove in 2008 and had 23 stolen bases. Since the start of the ’05 season, he has the best stolen base percentage (64 of 69) among all major leaguers.
Another plus: McLouth is under contract through at least 2011, having signed a three-year, $15.75 contract in spring training. The deal includes a team option for a fourth year at $10.65 million, with a buyout of $1.25 million.
“He gives us everything we’re looking for,” general manager Frank Wren said. “He gives us an extra outfield bat. He gives us speed. He gives us defense. He brings a lot to the table.”
By trading McLouth, Pittsburgh cleared a spot for one of its best prospects, former first-round pick Andrew McCutchen. He was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was hitting .303 with four homers, 20 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said trading McLouth “may be the toughest decision we have made in my time with the organization.”
Wren said Glavine’s impressive performance in the minors had no impact on the team’s assessment of his ability to pitch in the big leagues.
“We’ve been evaluating him the last four weeks and everyone felt we had a better chance to win at the major league level with one of our younger pitchers,” Wren said. “The pitching line is irrelevant when you’re pitching in low A-ball. The line is not relevant as to whether you can get major league hitters out.”
The Braves closed the clubhouse before the game. When team spokesman Brad Hainje finally poked his head out less than hour before the first pitch, he said Glavine had already left Turner Field after meeting with Wren, manager Bobby Cox and team president John Schuerholz.
Hainje said Cox and the players would not comment until after the game, though third baseman Chipper Jones said just before batting practice that he was looking forward to Glavine’s return.
“This is the perfect platform for him to finish it out,” Jones said. “If he comes in and helps us win some ballgames, pitches solid baseball down the stretch, I think he would be much more inclined to call it a career on a positive note.”
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