The Braves have decided to let 27-year old lefty swinging 2B Kelly Johnson walk by not offering him a contract for the 2010 season. Johnson played in 106 games last season for the Braves and he was 68 for 303 (.224 avg, .692 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 8 homers, 29 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Johnson played four years for the Braves playing in 490 games in which he was 439 for 1,661 (.264 avg, .777 OPS) with 270 runs scored, 45 homers, 206 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. The Braves shouldn’t miss Johnson too much as his offense really hurt them last year.

The Braves have designated 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder Ryan Church for assignment to make room on the roster for Rafael Soriano. Church played in 111 games last season for the Braves & Mets in which he was 98 for 359 (.273 avg, .722 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 4 homers, 40 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. He has now played in 548 games in his six year major league career and he is 456 for 1,675 (.272 avg, .787 OPS) with 226 runs scored, 51 homers, 242 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. The Braves weren’t too impressed with how Church played for them after coming over the Mets in a trade last summer so they won’t miss him.

UPDATE: The Braves decided over the weekend to not offer Ryan Church a contract for the 2010 season making him a free agent.

29-year old righty reliever Rafael Soriano has accepted arbitration from the Atlanta Braves. He did that because he knew he would get more cash in arbitration than free agency which was smart on his part. But, he will request a trade from the Braves to a team that will use him as a closer. This is also good for the Braves as Soriano will be in high demand. Soriano pitched in 77 games (0 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 1-6 with 27 saves, a 2.97 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. In three years with the Braves, Soriano has pitched in 162 games (0 starts) in which he is 4-10 with 39 saves, a 2.95 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. This was a good thing for the Braves who will get better pieces for Soriano than the draft pick they would have gotten if he rejected arbitration and signed with a new team.

UPDATE: The Braves have traded Rafael Soriano to the Tampa Bay Rays for 26-year old righty reliever Jesus Chavez. Chavez pitched in 73 games (0 starts) for the Pirates last season and he was 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He has now pitched in 88 games (0 starts) in his two years in the majors and he is 1-5 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Chavez has a good arm and the Braves will likely use him in middle relief in 2010. This was a trade that had to be made because Soriano would not have been happy in Atlanta setting up Billy Wagner.

The Braves are looking to make a big splash at the Winter Meetings this week as they are looking for offense. The Braves will likely be looking to trade Derek Lowe and Kelly Johnson this week. They are looking for a corner outfielder with pop in return for Lowe which means it will be a big market team that they will likely be dealing with. The Braves might also have to include a second player to make a deal work if it includes Lowe. The Braves don’t want to trade Javier Vazquez but he could bring back a lot in trade based on how he pitched last season. I still wouldn’t move Vazquez. 1B will likely be handled in free agency as there are a lot of interesting names including guys like Aubrey Huff, Adam LaRoche, Russell Branyan, Nick Johnson and Hank Blalock. The Braves must add a couple of big bats to what they already have or they will waste outstanding pitching again in 2010.

27-year old righty swinging shortstop Yunel Escobar finished in a tie with Mark Reynolds for 20th in the N.L. MVP voting. Escobar played in 141 games for the Braves last season and he was 158 for 528 (.299 avg, .812 OPS) with 89 runs scored, 14 homers, 76 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has now played in 371 games in his three years with the Braves and he is 410 for 1,361 (.301 avg, .801 OPS) with 214 runs scored, 29 homers, 164 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Escobar is one of the players the Braves will be building around in the near future.