Braves Complete Off-Season With Low-Risk, High-Reward Signings

BRAVES SIGN:
1B Troy Glaus (32 PA, .172/.250/.241, 2 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3/8 BB/K, 32 OPS+)
CIF/COF Eric Hinske (224 PA, .242/.348/.432, 12 2B, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 27/52 BB/K, 107 OPS+)

Frank Wren essentially completed the off-season for the Braves by signing third baseman Troy Glaus and utility man Eric Hinske to solidify Atlanta's bench.

Glaus, a career third baseman and designated hitter, has six career games at first base. All those games have come within the past two years in St. Louis. However, the potential for him being a 25-30 home run and 100 RBI, as Wren stated, is very high.

With Hinske, the Braves have a bench player who can play both corner infield and corner outfield positions. The former Rookie of the Year fulfilled the bench player role with the Pirates and Yankees last season.

This signing pretty much closes the book on Wren's off-season shopping. Assuming that Hinske, Glaus and Cabrera are to make the team and the Braves will carry 12 pitchers, this means the Braves have one bench spot left:

C - McCann
1B - Glaus
2B - Prado
SS - Escobar
3B - Jones
LF - Diaz
CF - McLouth
RF - Heyward

C - Ross
OF - Cabrera
OF/IF - Hinske
IF/LF - Infante

It's most likely that the last bench spot on the team will be filled by someone who can play shortstop. If Brooks Conrad can learn to play shortstop consistently in the spring, he may get the spot. An earlier signing in the winter, Joe Thurston, is another option because he has experience at shortstop. The third player likely to get that spot is Dioary Hernandez, who filled in for Escobar last season when Yunel was hurt. The only problem is that Hernandez's bat is VERY light (93 PAs of .144/.198/.212 with three doubles, one homer and a 9 OPS+) and he can only play shortstop.

Change Of Plans: Soriano Accepts Arbitration

BRAVES SIGN:
RRP Rafael Soriano (accepts arbitration)

Rafael Soriano unwittingly threw a monkey wrench into the Braves' early off-season plans by accepting arbitration before the midnight deadline at the first day of Major League Baseball's winter meetings.

Soriano is expected to garner about $7-8 million in salary for next season. That's a lucrative deal on the money side for him, but with newcomers Wagner and Saito, along with incumbents Moylan and O'Flaherty, the bullpen just got that much more crowded.

While this forces Braves general manager Frank Wren to look more heavily into trading Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez, the main objectives of getting a left fielder and first baseman could still be obtained.

EDIT: Photo by Paul Spinelli of Getty Images

Kyuuentoushu Getto!: Braves Sign Saito To Set Up Wagner

BRAVES SIGN:
RCP Takashi Saito

Just a day after announcing the signing of Billy Wagner, the Braves completed most of their bullpen upheaval by bringing in another veteran fireballer.

Atlanta came to terms with former Dodgers closer and Red Sox set-up man Takashi Saito on a one-year contract worth $3 million.

Two things are interesting about this signing: the Braves have gotten significantly older in their set-up and closer position. Gonzalez and Soriano will be 32 and 30 next season and Wagner and Saito will be 38 and 40 years old.

Another interesting thing is that Atlanta basically completed their bullpen shopping within two days. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before concerning the Braves. The plan seems to be to make sure that Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano decline arbitration and go on to sign with other ballclubs. It makes sense, after all; why should Soriano or Gonzalez stay with Atlanta another season when they could easily get millions more elsewhere to be a full-time closer?

EDIT: Photo by Richard Hartog of the Los Angeles Times

The Ball Is Rolling Now; Billy Wagner Joins The Fold

Okay, let's get the laziness out of the way first:

BRAVES SIGN:
RSP Tim Hudson (three-year extension)

Done. Now for the recent news:

BRAVES SIGN:
LCP Billy Wagner

Free agent closer Billy Wagner signs a potential multi-year deal with the Atlanta Braves. The deal is worth $7 million for the first year and and includes a club option for the 2011 season worth $6.5 million if Wagner finishes 50 games in the 2010 season.

Wagner spent time with the Mets and Red Sox last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The closer pitched 17 games in a relief role (15 2/3 innings) and allowed just three earned runs and eight hits, striking out 26 batters.

With this deal, the Braves have set themselves up to reap the benefits of former closers Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano signing with other teams. Because the two relievers are Type A free agents, the Braves are set to obtain the allotted draft picks of the teams that sign their former closers.

Proctor Signs And Accepts Invite; Phase One of Off-Season Near Completion

BRAVES SIGN:
RP Scott Proctor

The first domino of the off-season has fallen for the Braves, and a bigger one will fall soon.

Veteran reliever Scott Proctor agreed to a split contract with the Atlanta Braves, which means that he'll receive an invite to spring training. Proctor, who was last signed by the Florida Marlins, spent the 2009 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Proctor, who last pitched in the majors with the Dodgers, came up in the Yankees organization and has been primarily used as a middle reliever and set-up man. If he returns to form, he could fill a similar role with the Braves. It's a good signing for bullpen death assuming Proctor returns


However, the bigger news is that starting pitcher Tim Hudson passed a physical and a three-year contract extension is to be announced some time after the World Series is concluded. This essentially means that there will be a Braves starting pitcher traded at some point this off-season, whether it be Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez or Kenshin Kawakami.