The Atlanta Braves designated Wilfredo Ledezma for assignment today making room for their acquisition of closer Octavio Dotel or other more solid bullpen help. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this trade early on but it appears now that the Tigers have gotten the better end of this deal. Since joining the Braves on June 22nd Ledezma has not put up impressive stats:

Bobby Cox had good things to say about Ledezma and placed blame on the Braves inability to give him time to get into a starting role where they feel he is better suited. But when it comes down to it he has been largely ineffective and their gamble didn’t pay off.

“I think starting would be his forte,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said of Ledezma, who was acquired from the Tigers in exchange for left-handed specialist Macay McBride. “We just couldn’t get him started.”

He is certainly better suited to be a starter and the Tigers knew that but simply didn’t have room for him within the rotation and were in dire need of bullpen help. Now that he will have to clear waivers or be traded I’d like to see him wind up with Detroit again. Ledezma has a future in the big leagues and has shown signs of being a solid end of the rotation lefty.

If Detroit can provide him time in the minors to straighten out and stretch into a starter, he could be filling the role of Nate Robertson or Kenny Rogers in the future. He wouldn’t play any role this year though.

[UPDATE] – Wilfredo Ledezma was traded to the Padres along with Will Startup for Royce Ring.