The Braves made a surprising bullpen move this week, parting ways with veteran reliever Tyler Kinley after a rough stretch that has Atlanta searching for answers in multiple places.
The decision came on Tuesday, with Atlanta releasing Kinley rather than using one of its relievers with options or designating newly recalled reliever Ray Kerr for assignment. As HTHB’s Mitchell Barbee put it, “On Tuesday morning, the Braves finally announced their decision. However, instead of optioning one of their relievers with options or designating newly recalled reliever Ray Kerr for assignment, the Braves opted to make the tough decision to cut struggling reliever Tyler Kinley,”
Kinley had arrived in Atlanta as a trade deadline addition last season, when the Braves picked him up from the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher Austin Smith on Wednesday, one day before the non-waiver trade deadline. ESPN noted at the time that “the right-hander has struggled much of the past three years, and Kinley is just 1/3 with a 5.66 ERA.”
For a while, though, the move looked like a steal. Kinley was excellent out of the bullpen in Atlanta last season and quickly became one of the club’s quieter wins of the summer.
SI’s Harrison Smajovits wrote, “So far, he’s proved to be a steal. In 21 games pitched since coming to Atlanta, Kinley has a 0.41 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP over 22 innings of work.
He’s averaging nearly a strikeout per inning as well. It was a low-risk gamble that brought high reward.
The Braves have the chance to keep him around, and it would be the right call. Next year, he has a 5millioncluboptionwithsomeincentives(1.5 million total) tied to the number of games pitched.
For just $6.5 million, the Braves can retain a quality option for next season. If he doesn’t pan out, then the risk comes at a smaller price tag,”
That version of Kinley never really held up this season. His role shrank as the year went on, and Atlanta eventually decided he was expendable.
The timing also fits the bigger picture. The Braves were swept by the Minnesota Twins and are now dealing with a brutal stretch that has them traveling to four cities in five straight days. It’s been a difficult start to what could be a grueling road trip.
Kinley now heads back into the market looking for his next chance. The veteran reliever has made $12 million throughout his career, and the Braves are still trying to sort out both their bullpen and their starting rotation. Given how much Kinley has struggled this season, Atlanta apparently viewed moving on as a risk it could live with.
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