The Atlanta Braves just weren't ready for the Nick Swisher experience. Despite his hefty $15 million price tag, Swisher was released by the club Monday.
Due to Swisher's hefty salary, the move looks surprising. That's not really the case, though. Swisher has been in decline for years now. Since 2013, he's hit just .224/.315/.373 over 1,295 plate appearances. Both injuries and age have sapped his ability to play at a high level.
On top of that, he never really made sense on Atlanta. Swisher was acquired as part of a strange bad contract swap last August. He and Michael Bourn were sent to the Braves, while Chris Johnson was shipped to the Cleveland Indians. The Braves reportedly received $15 million as part of the deal, knowing there was a chance they would part with Swisher before the start of the 2016 season, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
It's possible Swisher could have made Atlanta's club with a strong spring, but the 35-year-old hit just .238 over 42 at-bats. Even if he managed to make the 25-man roster, it didn't really make sense for him to play on a rebuilding Braves club.
That's likely the biggest reason Swisher was let go. It's not the money he's owed, or his spring performance, it's the fact that he would have taken playing time away from a younger, possibly more talented, player.
The Braves are clearly in a rebuilding phase this season, with eyes on competing when their new park opens in 2017. Because of that, it's imperative that the team give plate appearances to as many young guys as possible. Most of them may fail, but if the club finds one or two promising youngsters who might be part of the next Braves winner, that's a significant win. Swisher clearly wasn't going to fit into the club's future, so there was no reason to give him at-bats.
The bigger question is whether another team will take a shot on Swisher. The numbers aren't promising, but his past production could make him an interesting flyer. And since his $15 million salary will be covered by the Braves, he'll come cheap. Is it worth the major-league minimum to see if Swisher has anything left in his bat? That's what teams are currently trying to determine.
While it was somewhat expected that he wasn't going to fit into the Braves long-term plans, it's disappointing the club let him go after announcing their new park may contain a zip line. If no team picks him up, maybe Swisher will return to Atlanta just to ride the line when the Braves open the new ballpark. Heck, maybe he can operate it full-time. Swisher seems like a guy who would be enthusiastic about zip lines.
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