Braves DFA Adrian Gonzalez after blockbuster trade
Adrian Gonzalez won't be moving to Atlanta.
The Braves designated the veteran first baseman for assignment immediately after acquiring him from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a stunning five-player trade Saturday.
Gonzalez waived his no-trade clause and agreed to the deal after being told he'd hit the open market by Wednesday, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
Adrian Gonzalez, who's in Italy, was told that if he stayed with the #Dodges, he'd be buried in the bench with limited at-bats. Now he can play for the minimum as the #Braves will pay rest of his $21 million salary
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 16, 2017
Signed through 2018 at a salary of $22.357 million, injuries and the emergence of star rookie Cody Bellinger spelled the end of Gonzalez's Dodgers career. He was limited to 71 games last season, hitting a career-low .242/.287/.355 with three home runs and 30 RBIs.
Gonzalez was traded to the Dodgers by the Boston Red Sox in August 2012 and played 735 games with Los Angeles, hitting .280/.339/.454 with 101 home runs and 448 RBIs.
Shortly after the transactions were announced, the 35-year-old used his Twitter account to thank the Dodgers for his time in the organization.
Thank you @Dodgers organization and fans for all the great years! #Blessed #Thankful #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/p7FC3pZdzz
— Adrián González (@Adrian_ElTitan) December 16, 2017