This doesn’t come as a big surprise, but it also seems like McHugh could have kept going; while he dealt with shoulder tendinitis and his performance slipped some last season, his velocity was just about as good as ever at age 36. McHugh winds up 71-47 with a 3.72 ERA in 127 starts and 219 relief appearances as a major leaguer. A late bloomer, he finished fourth in the AL ROY balloting with the Astros at age 27 in 2014 and then went 19-7 with a 3.89 ERA the following season. He probably would have had a longer run as a starter if the Astros hadn’t been so loaded, but he adjusted very well to the pen, posting a 1.99 ERA in 72 innings as a reliever in 2018 and later a 1.55 ERA in 64 innings for the Rays in 2021.

McHugh receives a $1 million buyout and becomes a free agent. The 36-year-old righty logged a couple stints on the injured list this past season due to right shoulder inflammation and wound up making just 41 appearances for the Braves, finishing with a respectable 4.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 47/22 K/BB ratio across 58 2/3 innings of work.

McHugh landed on the injured list earlier this month with right shoulder inflammation. The 36-year-old right-hander has registered a pedestrian 4.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 47/22 K/BB ratio across 58 2/3 innings (41 appearances) in his second season with the Braves.

The Braves talked about Michael Soroka’s injury after last night’s game, but they said nothing about McHugh after he threw three innings. He had given up four runs in each of his last two appearances, taking his ERA from 3.31 to 4.30. McHugh also missed time with shoulder inflammation in April.