Glavine should think twice about filing grievance

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine probably isn’t looking for sympathy, but he sure is going to get a lot.

The winningest active pitcher in Major League Baseball was released Wednesday by the team with which he spent the majority of his career. The 43-year-old lefty had recently pitched six shutout innings for Class-A Rome — admittedly weaker talent, but a scoreless outing nonetheless — and felt he was ready for a return to the big leagues. Instead, the exact opposite occurred.

Glavine might now file a grievance against his former team, claiming his release was financially motivated because he would have received a $1 million bonus for joining the squad.

Now, I know Glavine isn’t asking for my legal advice, but here it is anyway: Let it go.

The Braves, if acting out of financial interest and not because of Glavine’s talent, will be portrayed as the bully organization turning its back on a man who helped earn the 1995 World Series title and was a two-time Cy Young Award winner with the team. Glavine is the hard working, blue-collar veteran with whom everyone can identify — and people will definitely see a little of themselves in the soft-spoken southpaw.

Glavine is an Atlanta hero, along with his partners in crime, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz. Atlanta fans already were angered by a failed attempt to bring Smoltz back, as he headed off to the Boston Red Sox in the off-season — the resentment for the team’s front office will only thicken with the release of Glavine.

In the end, Glavine doesn’t have much to gain from filing a grievance. He has money, so that can’t be the point. His pride might have taken a hit, and certainly his faith in the organization that helped make him a star is shaken.

But dragging this issue out in court will only add to the strain of the relationship between Glavine and the Braves, something that simply would be a shame. When Glavine is inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., we expect him to don a Braves hat. If this situation is allowed to fester and boil, fans might have a legitimate fear that the Atlanta trio of pitchers — Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz — won’t all be reunited in Cooperstown.

Ultimately, Glavine should have been given the chance to finish his career as an Atlanta Brave — the team’s higher-ups will say he was given a chance, but I’ve never heard of any team cutting a winner of 305 games after he pitched six scoreless innings in the minors. Therefore, the hurt feelings on Glavine’s end are understandable.

But Glavine has a lot to thank the Braves for, and vice versa. The Braves handled this situation poorly, but it’s up to Glavine to be the bigger man — given how the Braves have acted, that shouldn’t be too difficult.