KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Atlanta has released pitcher Freddy Garcia, who was contending for a spot in the Braves battered rotation. The team announced the decision Monday, the deadline for Garcia to be put on the major league roster -- which would have triggered a $1.25 million guaranteed salary. "They said they didnt want to pick it up. I have to go," said Garcia, who started Game 4 of last years NL division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 37-year-old right-hander was let go despite a strong outing Sunday, when he limited the New York Mets to an unearned run and two hits over 5 1-3 innings. He was 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in five spring training starts. With Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy out for the season, and Mike Minor on the disabled list through at least mid-April as he comes back from a sore shoulder, the Braves are pursuing a trade, waiver-wire deal or signing. "Its a fluid situation," general manager Frank Wren said. "There could be other things that happen. Be patient." Clubhouse attendants already were preparing for the arrival of right-hander Aaron Harang, who was released from a minor league contract by Cleveland on Monday. If a move isnt made, the opening-day rotation would consist of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, rookie David Hale and non-roster invitee Gus Schlosser. Ervin Santana, signed late in spring training to a $14.1 million, one-year contract after Medlen and Beachy got hurt, is set to join the rotation the second week of the season after building his arm strength. Gavin Floyd, coming back from elbow surgery, could be ready by the end of April along with Minor. Minor is scheduled to make his first appearance of spring training Saturday in an exhibition at Rome, Ga., against a Braves minor league squad. Floyd is to pitch for the first time Friday in a minor league game. "Out rotation depth will change drastically in a few weeks and that was part of our decision," said Wren, who insisted that cutting Garcia wasnt financially motivated. Garcia, who has won 156 games, was visibly shaken. "I want to pitch, but not going to the minor leagues," he said. "I come here and try the best I can. I threw yesterday the way I want to pitch and they decided to go the other way. ... They made a decision, and I got to go with it." The team trimmed its active roster to 29 players by optioning left-hander Ryan Buchter and outfielders Jose Constanza and Joey Terdoslavich to Triple-A Gwinnett, and reassigning infielders Tyler Greene and Tommy La Stella to the International League team. The demotion of Buchter left another non-roster pitcher, Ian Thomas, as the second left-hander in the bullpen behind Luis Avilan. Fake Heat Jerseys .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. Hassan Whiteside Jersey .Y. - Geno Smith shouted a couple of mighty expensive expletives. https://www.cheapheatonline.com/157h-michael-jordan-jersey-heat.html . According to the CFL Scouting Bureaus January rankings, four of the top five Canadian prospects line-up on the offensive side of the trenches, which is good news for Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. With only one selection in the first two rounds — Walters sent his second-round pick to Saskatchewan in the days ahead of the 2013 trade deadline — the No. Cheap Heat Jerseys . According to bodog.ca, Cleveland moved up to grab the best odds to win the Larry OBrian trophy at 4-1 on Friday. By comparison, the Miami Heats odds plummeted from 3-1 favourites before LeBron left, to 50-1. Mario Chalmers Jersey .com)LeBron clearly likes his Italian sports cars, and thats ok with me, so up next up is the 458 Spider.Free agency is fascinating in North American sports. 2010 and 2014 may be remembered by many as World Cup years but if you are an NBA fan both summers will be forever linked by the decisions made by LeBron James. One was a full on farcical television special and another was a magazine exclusive. Big business. In the NHL many of the top players are signed the day they are available. July 1. Happy Canada Day hockey fans! It is very unusual for a star player to have not found a team by the second day of the month. Major League Baseball takes more time and is currently in the middle of free agent frenzy, a period that starts five days following the World Series and usually runs to some point in January. Occasionally, for some, it continues much longer if they have been extended a qualifying offer, which is linked to a draft pick by their former team that they turned down. For baseball fans the excitement of seeing so many different players linked to different teams is a way to get through the dark days of winter before the magical words pitchers and catchers report to spring training hit the newswire. In the Premier League there is no such fuss. English football is still coming to terms with the idea that an employee can become unattached and free away from its club once the contract ends, something that only became possible in 1995 with the Bosman ruling. There are many differences between the ways the players look at their contracts in English football than in North American sports. Far fewer high-profile footballers go into their final year of a contract and even fewer see it run out completely and those that do can begin to open negotiations with other teams once the January transfer window is open. It is certainly an unusual process. It would be hard to imagine the San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval playing for them in the recent World Series having already agreed to join the Boston Red Sox next season, for example. One thing free agents in any sport have in common is leverage and an ability to get more money than they normally would. In the Premier League, where amounts are given to clubs to purchase players on top of wages, it is clear a players agent can ask for more money per week for his client because they know the club doesnt have to pay a fee for their services. For clubs, though, this can still be a process of bargain buying, so as many shoppers head out around the Black Friday weekend in North America here are five players in the league that could be had for nothing in the next few months. Steven Gerrard – Easily the biggest name available, the Liverpool skipper, much like his club, is having a difficult season. Despite playing every minute of the Premier League season so far questions have arisen about where he is best suited on the field and it looks like its another year of chasing trophies, rather than winning them, for the midfielder. Liverpool fans, of course, want him back and want him to finish his career with one club, but what about Gerrard? His next contract could well be his last and he may decide the time is now to move on. He is a player who could still excel with superior players around him who can take the pressure off and reduce the amount of minutes he plays. Best destination if he leaves – Bayern Munich Why? – Gerrard will not want to play for another Premier League club, being so tied to Liverpool as a club and a community but his legacy on Merseyside would not be altered at all if he moved to Europe for a couple of years to play for a super power like Bayern Munich. The German giants could easily rely on Gerrard to play at a high level against many teams domesttically and use him periodically in European matches.dddddddddddd Winston Reid – The West Ham centre-back is likely on his way from West Ham having failed to come to terms on a new deal with the club. His performances under Sam Allardyce have caught the attention of many teams and in an era where it is very difficult to get a return on a heavy investment on a defender it is not hard to see why teams are interested in one who is a consistent Premier League performer and will soon be a free agent. Best destination if he leaves – Arsenal Why? – Reid is very comfortable in London and staying in the capital while moving to a higher level with the Gunners would be ideal. Arsene Wengers team badly need depth in that position and finding a player of Reids talent without spending money on a large transfer fee is exactly the type of business the club believes in. Ron Vlaar – The Dutchmans stock rose significantly at the World Cup when he was exceptional in a back three and a back four for a side that finished third in Brazil. Vlaar knows, at 29, that the time is now for him to use that to his advantage and move away from Aston Villa, a team that continues to struggle in the bottom half. Despite their struggles, Villa may be wise to take advantage of many teams needing a central defender and sell him for a fee in January instead of losing him for nothing in the summer. Best destination if he leaves – Manchester United Why? – Reunion is the word for Vlaar, which is why he was linked with old boss Ronald Koeman at Southampton last summer but a link up with former national team boss Louis Van Gaal makes more sense. United should be in the market for players better than Vlaar but as they transition towards trying to become a force in European football again a three-year deal would make sense as he is good enough to start for them for the next couple of years and brings leadership qualities the Old Trafford backline certainly misses at the moment. Fabian Delph – Vlaar wont be the only player leaving Villa Park on a free at the end of the season with the English midfielder likely departing in the same manner. Villa fans have seen Delph progress to another level in the past two seasons but having been picked for England that is no longer a secret. Delph, currently out with a shoulder injury, is a big part of the penetration needed in Villas stagnant midfield as he is aggressive and ambitious in his runs with the ball. Best destination if he leaves – Tottenham Why? – A major overhaul is coming at White Hart Lane as new boss Mauricio Pocchetino makes his mark. Currently many big name midfielders are frozen out and young Ryan Mason has been preferred ahead of them but next summer Delph would represent an upgrade over Mason as the likes of Paulinho, Mousa Dembele and Etienne Capoue possibly move on. James Milner – The next few weeks will be very important for the future of the England international. It appears he is now ready to talk about an extension with Manchester City after playing more this season than last but he should think carefully before signing. City are an ambitious club with problems at the moment and if they look to make changes Milner could soon be back out of favour with or without a new contract. Best destination if he leaves – Liverpool Why? – The Reds are usually first in line to purchase English talent and Milner would bring a much-needed work rate to a club that is one of the few teams in England that could get close to the wages he is on at City. Milner is an underrated player who rarely has a bad game but his talent may not be in line with the level his current club wants to reach. ' ' '