Bronson Arroyo (Photo : REUTERS)
The Arizona Diamondbacks don't want to pay huge amounts to players who are too injured to participate.
Thus it got rid of injured right-handed pitcher Bronson Arroyo's huge contract via a trade with the Atlanta Braves.
Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart said they wanted to keep their cash for future transactions and letting go Arroyo would also allow them to promote their young pitchers.
Arroyo was bothered he didn't measure up to the generous deal the Diamondbacks gave him last year.
He noted that he pitched for 10 to 12 years and gave his previous ball clubs their money's worth and that none of his previous teams could ever say that he short-changed them.
With the Diamondbacks, Arroyo just made 14 starts and seven wins and realized his services were turning out to be too expensive.
The 38-year-old Arroyo was inactive since undergoing Tommy John surgery last July 18.
Arroyo said there is still a spot on his elbow that is hurting and he can be optimistic to think that he will be back by mid-August but he isn't sure if he could pitch this year.
Braves assistant general manager John Coppolella also admitted it would be too early to tell if Arroyo could be a starter or out of the bullpen.
The Braves will now have to absorb the balance of $9.5MM this season plus a $4.5M buyout and the roughly $10.1MM guaranteed to him.
It was not very easy to get rid of the Arroyo's contract and that they have to to throw in Touki Toussaint to sweeten the deal.
Coppolella admitted that Toussaint was the key to the deal.
He noted that the Braves were eyeing Toussaint in the 2014 draft but they have to pick 31st and he was long gone by then.
He described Toussaint as "a huge, huge piece for the future."
Toussaint, 19, was the 16th pick overall in the 2014 draft and was 4-6 with a 5.65 ERA in two seasons with the D-Backs.
Incidentally they also have to absorb another injured player from the Braves in the trade: infielder Phil Gosselin.
The 26-year-old Gosselin was placed on the 15-day disabled list since May 18 due to a broken left thumb. He was hitting .325 (13-for-40) with two RBIs in 20 games.
Stewart expects Gosselin to be back in around four weeks.
