Glavine may file grievance

Major League Baseball and the players' association agreed that players can't be released because of financial reasons, which is why Tom Glavine is considering filing a grievance against the Atlanta Braves, according to Foxsports.com.

Glavine, 43, was to receive a $1 million bonus once he made the major-league roster. But Glavine was released the day after he made what was supposed to be his final minor-league rehab start for single-A Rome. The Braves then traded for Pittsburgh's Nate McLouth, who will make $2 million this season.

Braves general manager Frank Wren said the decision was made for performance reasons.

Glavine said he was angered because the Braves knew they were going to release him before he made the start at Rome, yet paraded him to the mound in front of a sellout crowd.

Apparently, Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche would like to know who the New York Mets think they are after Carlos Beltran commented that the Mets were embarrassed to be swept by Pittsburgh last week.

LaRoche accused Beltran of showing "zero class and zero professionalism."

"When somebody says that, they know what they're saying," LaRoche said in the New York Post. "If you go and say that to your buddies, it's one thing. If you go to the media and make that public for us to hear? Yeah, that's no class.

"You know, if we're as bad as he says we are, and we swept them, then what's that make them?"

Responded Beltran, "I believe we're a better team than them. I don't care what he said."

He will turn 26 this week, yet there are talent evaluators who suspect the best days for injured Mets shortstop Jose Reyes may be behind him already, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com.

The report says some scouts think Reyes has lost range and they see regression in his defensive play.

"I don't see a lot of evolution there," an unidentified scout was quoted as saying. "Jimmy Rollins struggled early in his career, but then he just kept getting better and better, and I'm not really seeing that in Reyes."

Reyes has been out of the lineup most of the last two weeks for various injuries, the latest a slightly torn hamstring.

Pittsburgh GM Neal Huntington felt he had some explaining to do after sensing backlash from the team's players and the Pirates' dozen or so fans after trading McLouth, an all-star outfielder, to the Braves for three prospects.

In an e-mail sent to season-ticket holders, Huntington said, "I understand why some people, at first glance, may believe this move was financially motivated, but I can assure you this was strictly a baseball decision. In fact, our owner, Bob Nutting, was as surprised as some of our fans when we sought approval for this trade. I am grateful that he has the faith in me [and] our baseball operations staff . . . despite the risk of public backlash on him personally and the organization as a whole."

The Braves put first baseman Casey Kotchman on the disabled list to clear a spot for pitcher Tommy Hanson. . . . Atlanta has inquired about Red Sox righthander Brad Penny, according to ESPN.com, while Boston has been researching outfielder Jeff Francoeur. Since a bad debut, Penny has allowed three runs or fewer in five of his last six starts. . . . In an attempt to strengthen the bullpen, the Cardinals recalled rookie righthander Blake Hawksworth and demoted righthander Jess Todd to triple A.