Braves release former Pirates starter Wandy Rodriguez

The Braves have released former Pirates starter Wandy Rodriguez, who presumably will now head to the free-agent market in search of a job. We'll see if Rodriguez can catch on elsewhere. He's only two-plus years removed from the 2012 season in which he pitched well for a bad Astros team, headed to Pittsburgh, and was one of the few competent actors in Stretch Run II: The Debacle, the sequel to the Pirates' 2011 hit that starred Ronny Cedeno and Vin Diesel. Also, Rodriguez did strike out 23 batters in 23 Spring Training innings this season.

Still, Rodriguez might not prove to be as resilient as Diesel has been. Getting beat out by Eric Stults this spring can't be a good sign, and Rodriguez's age, health problems and underwhelming stuff could easily conspire against him. He was once a solid No. 2 / No. 3 starter, but his upside is less than that now, and with all the pitching in today's game, a 36-year-old lefty who has pitched 89 innings total in the last two seasons, failed a physical with the Phillies in January, and throws in the high 80s isn't going to look like the most inspiring choice.