![\"749140404045](\"https:\/\/www.sportstalkatl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/749140404045-Braves-at-Nationals.jpg\")
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Over the last 18 months or so, the Braves haven\u2019t been the same Braves we\u2019ve loved so dearly.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s a rigid clubhouse, firing coaches, or underperforming stars, this doesn\u2019t feel like the world-class organization that Braves Country has come to expect, and one of the latest examples of such was Atlanta\u2019s handling of Craig Kimbrel.<\/p>\n
After biding his time in Triple-A Gwinnett while the bullpen blew late-game leads, Kimbrel was eventually called upon during the trip to San Francisco. The 37-year-old didn\u2019t look crisp, but he held the Giants to a scoreless frame.<\/p>\n
The day after his only appearance, the Braves designated Kimbrel for assignment, recalling little-known reliever Austin Cox to replace him. The future Hall of Fame reliever isn\u2019t who he once was, but the entire process was not typical of how the Braves have typically carried themselves.<\/p>\n
The club signed a legend in Braves Country who grew up in the organization, let him rot with the Stripers for more than a month, called him up for one appearance in which he tossed a scoreless inning in a high leverage situation, and then decided to DFA him the very next day.<\/p>\n
It would\u2019ve been somewhat understandable if the Braves\u2019 bullpen was loaded with studs, but it is the weakest unit on the team. And this isn\u2019t necessarily a shot at Austin Cox either, but rather a question of what the hell this organization has come to?<\/p>\n
It seemed the fan base\u2019s reaction wasn\u2019t singular. The Braves\u2019 handling of Craig Kimbrel\u2019s return wasn\u2019t appreciated in the organization either, according to The Athletic\u2019s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat really frustrated me and a lot of the guys in our locker room were very frustrated with it,\u201d James McCann said of Atlanta\u2019s handling of Kimbrel. \u201cIt was strange to call him up for a day and DFA him. He\u2019s not just a run-of-the-mill reliever who became a journeyman after two or three years in the big leagues. He\u2019s a future Hall of Famer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Similar to Kimbrel, James McCann signed a minor-league deal with the Braves, with the same rolling opt-out. Meaning, if another team offers him a major-league contract, Atlanta must either promote him or allow him to depart.<\/p>\n What\u2019s also unusual for the Braves is players, let alone veterans, speaking out in criticism of the organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over the last 18 months or so, the Braves haven\u2019t been the same Braves we\u2019ve loved so dearly. Whether it\u2019s a rigid clubhouse, firing coaches, or underperforming… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n