Carl Edwards Jr. opts out of contract and becomes FA

In a bit of a surprise relief pitcher Carl Edwards has officially opted out of his minor league contract and is now a free agent.

Carl appeared in 8 games for the Braves this spring and pitched 8.1 innings to the tune of a 1.08 ERA but struggled with walks - registering six of them which was good enough for a 6.5 BB/9, and 8.6 K/9 rate.

Edwards Jr. appeared in just five games last season (4.2 innings pitched) but was dynamic with an 11.6 K/9, and 1.93 BB/9 but the big arm righty took a step back with his command and struggled with the walks this spring. For his career, Edwards has a 12 K/9 rate but also an astounding 5 BB/9. With an arm as talented as he is he won’t be out of baseball long, but it’s clear his path to Atlanta would have been tough especially following the demotion of Jacob Webb to Gwinnett who is likely the first arm up should an injury or poor performance from a pitcher occur to the Braves relief core.

Of note, this could lead to Nate Jones making the club which is something we will be watching closely today.