MelJu is fighting for a roster spot in Toronto as he enters the last year of the horrific 5-year, $75.25 million signed in 2012. The Braves, of course, unloaded that contract when they shipped Melvin to San Diego as part of the Craig Kimbrel trade, a deal that essentially netted Matt Wisler and Austin Riley.
While the deal was applauded at the time, saving the Braves about $65 million (remember, John Hart took the expiring contracts of Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin), the Pads traded Kimbrel to Boston one year later for a package of young players highlighted by Manuel Margot, ranked among the top 25 prospects by Keith Law and MLB.