Johnson a free agent after non-tendered by Braves

Six months after Kelly Johnson lost his starting job with the Braves, he was cut loose and made a free agent Saturday when the team did not tender a contract to the arbitration-eligible second baseman.

The Braves avoided arbitration with outfielder Matt Diaz by signing him to a one-year contract, and also tendered deals to relievers Peter Moylan and Boone Logan.

Johnson struggled in 2009 and lost his starting job to Martin Prado at midseason. The Braves tried unsuccessfully to trade Johnson before a midnight Saturday deadline for teams to offer contracts to remaining unsigned players.

The Braves didn't want to tender a contract to him and risk paying a projected salary in excess of $3 million, after Johnson hit a career-low .224 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 106 games and played a bench role in the second half of the season.

"This is one of the things that happens with the arbitration system," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "As players advance through their arbitration years, sometimes they get caught in their arbitration number [projected salary] over-reaching their value at the time."

Once a top prospect for the Braves, Johnson had nine homers and 40 RBIs in 87 games as a rookie outfielder in 2005.

He missed the 2006 season recovering from elbow surgery, then moved to second base at the Braves' request -- coincidentally after they non-tendered second baseman Marcus Giles following the 2006 season.

While not a defensive standout at second, Johnson hit during the 2007-2008 seasons like someone the Braves could build around, batting .282 with a .362 on-base percentage, 109 extra-base hits (16 triples, 28 homers), 177 runs and 138 RBIs during that two-year span.

But after hitting .308 with a team-high 25 extra-base hits and .819 on base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) after the 2008 All-Star break, he hit just .214 with a .645 OPS before the 2009 break and lost his job.

Prado had a four-hit game on June 28 and hit .431 with 11 extra-base hits over his next 15 game to become entrenched. He hit .318 with 27 doubles, eight homers and an .841 OPS over his final 78 games in 2009.

"Everyone is convinced, based on what Martin has done the last two years, that he's put himself in position to be a key part of our offense and a key contributor playing second base for us every day," Wren said of Prado, who hit .311 with an .827 OPS during 2008-2009.

Wren said while the Braves are open to possibly bringing Johnson back at a lesser salary, he thinks Johnson would be better suited to an opportunity where he could get plenty of at-bats.

Barring injury, that opportunity won't exist with the Braves.

"We still think Kelly has ability," Wren said, "and I would not be surprised at all, if he went somewhere and had a chance to play regularly, if he bounced back to be the player we all envisioned.

"That's why so many times, players blossom with their second or third club. Talented players -- and we think Kelly still has talent -- really just need opportunities. We can't afford right now to give him those opportunities, based on the personnel we have on our club."

The Braves also non-tendered outfielder Ryan Church, who had already been dropped from the 40-man roster and designated for assignment on Tuesday.

The team avoided arbitration with Diaz by signing him to a one-year, $2.55 million deal. Diaz doubled his salary from 2009, when he hit .313 with career-highs in on-base percentage (.390), home runs (13), RBIs (58) and stolen bases (12).