Thorman Out, Gotay In

Scott Thorman was so bad last year and this spring that he was able to fly through waivers on his way to triple-A Richmond without being claimed by any team -- I don't blame anyone for not wanting him. He is, though, a real nice guy and someone who you could always respect for hustling on every single play. I hope he can find a better way of hitting than just swinging for the fences every at-bat.

The Braves also found their stopgap for Omar Infante today when they claimed Ruben Gotay off waivers from the New York Mets. Gotay can play second, short, and third base and while not a power hitter he excelled against right-handed pitching, batting .318 with four home runs and 22 RBI, he also hit .288 (15-for-52) as a pinch hitter.  Gotay was also clutch in "Close & Late" situations, hitting .349 (15-for-43). Apparently Glavine put in a good word about Gotay:

These two moves clear up some of the Braves backup situation on the infield; it looks like it will now be Gotay and Martin Prado as the backup infielders, with Brent Lillibridge starting at triple-A. That leaves only the choice between Corky Miller and Brayan Pena for backup catcher, and it has been widely believed that Pena will be moved in a trade.

The backup outfield job is still between Josh Anderson and Gregor Blanco, but the team may carry both if they can trade Pena and can't find a power bat off the bench in the trade market. I would imagine they wouldn't put Pena on waivers as he would be more likely to be claimed than Thorman -- they would rather get something for him or they may keep him in addition to or instead of Miller.

I like the demotion of Thorman, and I am glad he still stays in the system just in case he does figure out his potential (of course it looks more and more like he's a 4-A player). I also like the addition of Gotay. He's not flashy or a scary bench bat, but he's a solid defender, he cost nothing, and he'll likely be more of an asset than a hindrance on the bench (and that's a win). Plus, on the off chance he has a really good season, that would rub mud in the Mets' eyes -- and we know that's the second most important thing next to winning.