Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito to sign with Braves

[Invader3K]

Ken Rosenthal is reporting. $7 million salary, plus an option for $6.5 million in 2011 that vests if he finishes 50 games this season. Red Sox stand to get the Braves' first round pick and supplemental pick as compensation since they offered Wagner arbitration.

 

Seems like this makes the Hoffman signing that much more logical for the Brewers.

[jjkoestler]

It blows my mind that he is type A.

[HiAndTight]

It blows my mind that he got 7 million.

 

He was one of those, "why not" signings for me. Offer him 1.5 with 2 million in incentives if he hadn't signed by Jan.

 

Frankly if I'm the Braves, I'm much more worried about bringing Soriano back....and while my market may have been well off, I'd have thought he could have been had for roughly the same.

[logan82]

I don't understand giving up a 1st round pick for a guy who you might only have for a year.

[HiAndTight]

To play devils advocate for a moment, they must feel that they're a legit world series contender and that he can really solidify the back end of that BP.

 

Of course I can see why they would feel that way with Hudson, Hanson, Juir, Vazquez, Lowe, Kawakami in their rotation as of now.

 

Still, Soriano would have been a better decision IMO.

[TooLiveBrew]

Whoa, if the Braves viewed this as an either/or situation with Soriano & Wagner, I'd just feel bad for Braves fans. I didn't realize Soriano was hitting FA.

[HiAndTight]

Whoa, if the Braves viewed this as an either/or situation with Soriano & Wagner, I'd just feel bad for Braves fans. I didn't realize Soriano was hitting FA.

 

I suppose I'm making an assumption, just the Braves don't have unlimited funds and to pay 7 million for Wagner, and then what, at least that for Soriano would seem like spending a bit much on the back end of their pen.

Of course if they did they could have a equally dynamic bullpen. Still they need some offense.

 

[Mass Haas]

Well, the Braves will save whatever money they don't have to pay the 20th pick in the draft.

Red Sox clean up again, sign Wagner in July, get two top draft picks for doing so.

[pingman]

The Braves tendered arby to Soriano & Mike Gonzalez (both type A)....so they'll gain some 1st round picks when those two cats sign elsewhere, and they will for bigger $$$$ than Wagner

 

Soriano was never as good as his stats....he seemed to blow too many clutch saves for my taste....plus he & Gonzalez have a history of injuries too

 

Wagner threw the crap out of the ball in September.....1.72 era & 14.94 k's per 9 innings as proof

 

....as a longtime Braves fan I like this signing....bullpen is shaping up nicely with Moylan, Medlen (he's going to bust out in 2010) & O'Flaherty

[And That]

The Braves have also signed Takashi Saito, allegedly to a 1 year/$3 mil deal.

 

I'm amazed to see that Saito has pitched so many innings the past few years, considering how often it seems like we hear he's injured.

[colbyjack]

Well, the Braves will save whatever money they don't have to pay the 20th pick in the draft.

 

pingman already touched on this, but this may be a stroke of genius for the Braves, swapping Gonzalez and Soriano for Wagner and Saito, possibly for a net of an extra first-round pick (depending on who signs Gonzalez and Soriano of course) and two sandwich picks for what likely will be a lot less money.

 

Also in the Braves credibility corner, their professional scouting department has a knack for finding players that may be due for a big year (Jaret Wright always comes to mind, but he's not the only one). As pingman also noted, Wagner was good down the stretch, and reports were out that his velocity showed promising signs of a rebound.

 

This is a modest savings that may allow them to go out and get a big bat via free agency too. Add onto that possibility if they're able to trade some of Lowe's money.

[Tbadder]

Yeah, it's amazing what a team can do if it marshals its resources, unlike the Brewers who refuse to be even a little creative.

[Invader3K]

I have no idea what you mean by that, Tbadder. Do you just mean in terms of payroll flexibility, or beyond that?

[colbyjack]

Yeah, it's amazing what a team can do if it marshals its resources, unlike the Brewers who refuse to be even a little creative.

 

I don't think it's fair to compare this situation to the one the Brewers faced not offering Cameron and Lopez arbitration. Relievers are always in demand via free agency, and we've already seen two of the better ones snatched up.

 

Timing will help the Braves, as I'm sure Gonzalez and Soriano have recognized these moves so close to when they have to make a decision and both are more likely to decline the Braves' arbitration offers.

 

Had the Brewers acquired Carlos Gomez now as opposed to several weeks ago, after offering Cameron arbitration, that might have had a different effect on Cameron's decision to accept or decline, but I'm not going to blame that sequence on Melvin. I doubt that the timing was strategized that intently by the Braves.