The Atlanta Braves cut ties to Marcus Giles on Tuesday, deciding they could no longer afford the second baseman under their ever-tightening budget. The Braves pushed hard to trade Giles during the winter meetings, but couldn't work out a deal for someone to take their leadoff hitter from this past season. So they declined to tender him a contract for 2007.
General manager John Schuerholz said he couldn't risk going to arbitration with Giles, who made $3.85 million in 2006 and likely would have commanded over $5 million for next season.
"It's not an easy decision when you're talking about somebody's who's been a key guy for our team over the years and grew up in our organization," Schuerholz said. "But it's a fact of the matter with the economics of this business. As salaries continue to rise, we've got to use our assets the best way we can to put our most balanced team together."
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Giles' agent, Joe Bick, said the Braves' decision not to tender a contract to the second baseman was no surprise, given their well-publicized efforts to trade him.
"I think Marcus had probably come to grips some time ago that he had played his last game with the Braves," Bick said. "He has no regrets. He loved the time he spent in Atlanta. He played hard for them every day. He was a good, quality player for them."
Giles can negotiate with any team, but it's clear that San Diego would be his first choice. His older brother, outfielder Brian Giles, already plays for their hometown Padres.
