Braves Flip Two Players to Rays for Cash or PTBNL

The Atlanta Braves offloaded two players from their system as the roster continues to take shape for the 2026 season

The Braves clear roster space by shipping off two players to Tampa Bay | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves made the move to clear players out of the system. The team announced on Monday evening that they had traded left-hander Ken Waldichuk and infielder Brett Wisely to the Tampa Bay Rays. In return, they will receive either cash considerations or a player to be named later.

The #Braves today traded LHP Ken Waldichuk and INF Brett Wisely to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 12, 2026

Waldichuk had been with the Braves for less than a week before he was traded. He was claimed off waivers from the A's on Jan. 8. Wisely hadn't been around very long either. He was picked up in mid-September off waivers.

He was recently designated for assignment when the team claimed right-hander George Soriano off waivers from the Orioles. With Tyler Kinley being re-signed, the team decided to offload a couple of players from the system. One was no longer needed for the pitching staff, and the other had already been removed from the 40-man roster. Off to Tampa Bay they go.

Waldichuk hasn’t seen action in the major leagues since the 2023 season. In 42 career appearances, 29 starts, he has a 5.28 ERA to his name. He had potential, in theory, as a rotation option in case of an emergency, but he'll be on call for the Rays instead.

The A’s opted to designate him for assignment on Dec. 22, which gave the Braves a chance to scoop him up as a depth option for a few days. It made sense why he was picked up, but the Braves have been active in acquiring lefty depth, making it easy to move on from him.

Wisely appeared in four games, went hitless, walked three other times, and that’s all she wrote. Wisely provided a depth option, but there are other infielders the Braves can turn to to fill that role. Vidal Bruján suffered a similar fate earlier this week for the same reason. 

Nacho Avalrez Jr. is a rising option in the infield, even as a potential platoon option. He's mainly played shortstop in his pro career, but he mainly played third base for the Braves after Austin Riley went down with an injury. He's also played second base for the Braves, which came when Ozzie Albies went down a season prior.

Mauricio Dubon also provides an established utility option if someone has to back up Albies at second base. Wisely was soley listed as a second baseman, making him an easy odd man out for the Braves.