The Cubs have released infielder Brendan Ryan, the club announced. Ryan was just acquired as a piece of the deal that sent Starlin Castro to the Yankees.

It’s apparent now that Chicago didn’t have much interest in adding Ryan to its roster. Indeed, his $1MM salary may have been moved as part of the balancing of the dollars in the trade.

Soon to turn 34, Ryan is a top-notch defender but has never done much at the plate. He just wrapped up a less-than-inspiring run with the Yankees, only receiving 289 total plate appearances in three campaigns. Ryan hit only .201/.244/.271 in that span.