The Atlanta Braves were busy in advance of Friday’s non-tender deadline.
The team announced that they had avoided arbitration with catcher Anthony Recker and reliever Paco Rodriguez. Atlanta elected to non-tender reliever Chris Withrow which allows him to become a free agent. The team tendered offers to Arodys Vizcaino, Ian Krol and Ender Inciarte.
Recker hit .278 in 33 games for the Braves this season. He made 26 starts after being promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett in July. Rodriguez spent all of last season on the disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was seen as a non-tender candidate and reportedly agreed to a deal just before the deadline.
Withrow appeared in 46 games out of the bullpen for the Braves last season and posted a 3.58 ERA. He missed most of August due to inflammation in his elbow and made just six appearance in September.
The Braves will have until mid-January to sign their arbitration eligible players. If they are unable to come to an agreement, arbitration hearings will be held in February.
UPDATE
paco rodriguez settles with braves at $637,500
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2016
anthony recker sins MLB deal with braves. 800K
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 2, 2016