The Lefty Situation

So when Mike Gonzalez comes back, the Braves will have make some decisions to make room for him. Currently, the Braves have the luxury of having two lefties in the bullpen, Will Ohman and Royce Ring. Even though Mike Gonzalez is effective against both righties and lefties, it seems that he'll be taking the place of one of the current lefties. (Doesn't make too much sense having one set-up lefty reliever and two situational lefties, in my opinion.)

I think everyone is quick to assume that Royce Ring will be the man to go. I thought that, too, when I didn't know their contract situations: Ohman's contract will be up at the end of the season while Ring barely has a year of service time. Ohman's salary is a little over a million while Ring will be making the minimum for the next few years. Both relievers have been very valuable; however, Ring has been used in strict situations. But that argument is moot when Gonzalez comes back, since Ohman will be, for a lack of a better term, "demoted" to being the situational lefty that Ring currently holds.

That said, since Ring has already proven himself beyond capable in that role, has a cheaper contract, and under contract for a few more years, I think that makes Will Ohman a lot more expendable. Ohman's trade value is at an all-time high with his performance this year and I don't think the Braves will even try to compete for the services of Ohman on the open market when his contract is up at the season. So if the Braves trade/waive Ring, they will only have Gonzalez as the experienced lefty in the 'pen next year. In my mind, it makes too much sense to keep Ring and trade Ohman.