Somewhat of a surprising twist: not only was pending free agent right-hander Cal Quantrill claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins, but he was claimed by the Atlanta Braves, who are even further away from the National League playoff picture than the Fish are. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who broke the news Tuesday that Quantrill had been placed on waivers, was also first to report his departure on Thursday. 

Quantrill made 24 starts for the Marlins this season, posting a a 5.50 ERA, 4.59 FIP and 1.39 WHIP in 109 ⅔ innings pitched. Miami attempted to trade the 30-year-old for young talent prior to last month’s MLB trade deadline, but to no avail. They wind up settling for a smidge of financial relief. The Braves are taking responsibility for the approximately $734k that remains of Quantrill’s $3.5 million salary.

The waiver claim order is based on the reverse standings, so every team with a lower winning percentage than the 58-69 Braves passed on Quantrill.

Right-hander Ryan Gusto will slide right into Quantrill’s rotation spot beginning on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, reports Fish On First’s Kevin Barral. Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida adds that Gusto is getting the opportunity to stick around for an extended period.

The Marlins previously recalled Gusto to start during a doubleheader in Atlanta on August 9. He went right back down to Triple-A Jacksonville after that and struggled in his lone outing since then (3.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K). Overall, the rookie righty has 92 innings pitched in the majors, most of which came with the Houston Astros (4.92 ERA, 4.14 FIP and 1.43 WHIP in 86.0 IP prior to being traded).

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Janson Junk and Eury Pérez are projected to start against the Blue Jays on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

After the Blue Jays, Quantrill and the Braves come to loanDepot park for a three-game series beginning on Monday.

The Marlins now have an open spot on their 40-man spot and could easily create another when needed by transferring Anthony Bender to the 60-day injured list.