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One of the Braves primary battles going in to Spring Training was going to be in the bullpen. In addition to the fact that most of the bullpen was underwhelming at best last season, there were few clear locks for a roster spot there...in particular in regards to the role of left-handed specialist.
The Braves picked up several potential options including using a Rule V pick on Evan Rutckyj and trying to shop in the free agent bargain bin. The Braves had hoped that Rutckyj, Alex Torres, or really anyone would be able/willing to win that job in camp.
After the release of Rutckyj, the Braves were essentially down to Alex Torres as the only option. However, with the re-acquisition of Eric O'Flaherty, the Braves decided to cut ties with Torres.
Braves Release Alex Torres https://t.co/Y1kzjspeeg #braves
— Tim Dierkes (@mlbtrbraves) March 30, 2016
Alex had an inconsistent spring with some good outings and other....not so good ones. He gave up 4 earned runs over 8 innings of work in Spring Training while walking five batters. His control issues and inconsistency in addition to the addition of O'Flaherty to the roster made him expendable.
And with that, the likelihood of getting to see Torres' sweet hat with a Braves logo on it comes to an end.