Bronson Arroyo disappointed he couldn't do more for Diamondbacks

Right-hander Bronson Arroyo was traded on Saturday night to a team for whom he might never pitch. That was what made it so unexpected, he said, but the part about his trade to the Atlanta Braves that bothers him is that he didn't live up to the contract the Diamondbacks gave him last year.

"The most difficult part, really, honestly, is the fact that I pitched for 10, 12 years for other ballclubs and gave them their money's worth," Arroyo said. "And nobody could ever say that Bronson Arroyo kind of shorted the team. But coming here, I gave these guys, I don't know, 14 starts and seven wins. For a two-year deal, that was pretty expensive. That was definitely disappointing on my part. But that's just the way it is."

The Diamondbacks dealt Arroyo to the Braves on Saturday night, along with highly regarded pitching prospect Touki Toussaint, in exchange for utility infielder Phil Gosselin.

The move appeared to be motivated by financial considerations; the Diamondbacks saved about $9.5 million in the trade.

Prior to last season, Arroyo received a $23.5 million deal from the Diamondbacks, who were banking on him to be an innings-eating stabilizer in their starting rotation. Instead, he wound up needing Tommy John surgery midway through the season.

And his recovery hasn't gone as smoothly as planned. Arroyo said he's "behind the 8-ball a little bit" in terms of return to the majors.

"I have one spot in my elbow I haven't been able to get the pain out of," he said. "So I'm probably not looking to even pitch in a game until – if I can get back in mid-August, that would be good, but I don't even know if I can pitch this year."

Arroyo says he'd like to get back on the mound, especially considering he has an $11 million team option for 2016 that includes a $4.5 million buyout. But he also realizes it's possible he was just a pawn in the deal.

"Who knows?" he said. "Maybe they just really wanted Touki."