It has been a very busy offseason for the Braves so here’s a quick look back on the last two months:
Braves re-sign Tim Hudson
After opting out of his contract, Tim Hudson decided to stay with Atlanta, signing a three year deal worth $28 million. The contract also includes a club option for 2013.
“Strengthening the Bullpen”
The Braves were unsure if either Mike Gonzalez or Rafael Soriano would accept arbitration so they decided to be proactive by picking up Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. The idea made sense but paying Billy Wagner, an aging veteran who is coming off of Tommy John surgery, $7 million for one year seems excessive. And then add the $3 million they gave to Saito who will be forty before the season starts and it seems like that $10 million would have been served better as part of Jason Bay’s contract than on two guys who are closer to 50 than they are to 20.
Trades
Rafael Soriano surprised the Braves by accepting their arbitration offer which left them with an extra reliever and no where to put his contract ($7.25 million) so they sent him to the Rays for reliever Jesse Chavez.
After re-signing Tim Hudson, the Braves are overflowing with starters. At last count they had six legitimate pitchers going for five rotation spots. So instead of moving Kenshin Kawakami to the bullpen, alleviating the problem and keeping a competent starter for emergency use, the Braves have decided to dangle Derek Lowe. Currently, the market seems a bit stale for a pitcher who still has three more years on his $60 million contract, but Atlanta is holding out hope.
Diaz In, Johnson and Church Out
The Braves re-signed outfielder Matt Diaz to a one year, $2.25 million contract while cutting second baseman Kelly Johnson and outfielder Ryan Church. Martin Prado proved to be a much better option at second and let’s face it Ryan Church already served his purpose; he got Jeff Francoeur out of Atlanta. Anything after that was icing on the cake.
So What’s Next?
With the bullpen solidified, Atlanta now must turn their emphasis to their offense. The Braves are not contenders in the Matt Holliday sweepstakes and the Mets look to be very aggressive in the Jason Bay free for all so that leaves very few good options for the Braves - who by the way – could also use a first baseman. Xavier Nady is an interesting option. He has power, but he is coming off of Tommy John surgery. Hank Blalock has power but is not very consistent and the same could be said for Ryan Garko. Atlanta’s best option will probably come from the trade market; I just wish someone would take Kawakami off Atlanta’s hands instead of Derek Lowe.
With the bullpen solidified, Atlanta now must turn their emphasis to their offense. The Braves are not contenders in the Matt Holliday sweepstakes and the Mets look to be very aggressive in the Jason Bay free for all so that leaves very few good options for the Braves - who by the way – could also use a first baseman. Xavier Nady is an interesting option. He has power, but he is coming off of Tommy John surgery. Hank Blalock has power but is not very consistent and the same could be said for Ryan Garko. Atlanta’s best option will probably come from the trade market; I just wish someone would take Kawakami off Atlanta’s hands instead of Derek Lowe.
(Photos: AP)
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