It didn’t take the Atlanta Braves long to grant Rafael Soriano’s trade wishes after he accepted arbitration. When Soriano accepted arbitration he gave Atlanta arguably the best bullpen in baseball, but also a $6.5 million salary that the Braves wanted no part of. Despite the hefty one-year contract, GM Frank Wren was able to ship Soriano south to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for reliever Jesse Chavez.

At face value the trade seems lopsided in Tampa Bay’s favor. Soriano is coming off what is arguably his best season, in which he finished with a 2.97 ERA and 102 strikeouts in just 75.2 innings. Soriano also closed 27 games while sporting a 1.06 WHIP. Chavez however, didn’t have a great season.

Team/Player Photos: Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals on Jul 27, 2010

Chavez, 26, finished the season with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. However, he is a young, live arm with potential, which is exactly what the Braves were looking for. The trade was more or less a salary dump for the Braves while acquiring some bullpen depth.

Though Chavez isn’t a bad return, many fans were hoping for a little more in return for Soriano. The contract played a large part in the return for Soriano. Although the Braves only acquired Chavez, the Rays agreed to pay the entirety of Soriano’s contract. With the trade GM Frank Wren can now concentrate on moving either Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez for a middle of the order bat and signing a free agent to fill one of Atlanta’s several holes.