FanHouse

Like a ship losing its steam, the Atlanta Braves aren't afraid to lose cargo to move faster. First, it was Craig Wilson with his .172 batting average and $2 million contract. Tonight, it's Mark Redman who got "chopped" (sorry) off the Braves as -- like Wilson -- he failed to put up any sort of numbers that made him a better option than anything the Braves had in Richmond. You'll remember that Redman was originally signed to help ease the pain of losing Mike Hampton for the first two months of the season (which turned into the entire season). But Redman's numbers were atrocious: an 0-4 record, an ERA of 11.68, and 38 hits in 21 and 2/3's of an inning.

But the story here isn't so much that Redman got cut ... the story is that the Braves aren't afraid to cut veterans who aren't providing anything. It not only speaks of a good farm system, but of a team not afraid to use it. They never have been afraid as players constantly come up out of seemingly nowhere to fill whatever holes they might have, from Jeff Francoeur to Chuck James to Jarrod Saltalamacchia to Scott Thorman and on and on and on. Look at the outing Kyle Davies had tonight: eight solid innings (and a three run HR!) against the New York Mets to bring them to within one and a half games behind them for first place. 2005 first round pick Joey Devine will be the next Braves farm guy to show he's worthy of sticking with the Braves as he was called up in Redman's place.

A good farm system means you don't ever have to be afraid to cut your losses and say you're sorry for making mistakes in free agency (although Redman was a mistake out of necessity). The next player on the chopping block is surely Andruw Jones and his .212 average.

Not really.

Previously on The Fanhouse:
Braves Sign Mark Redman
Mike Hampton has a Setback