Did Braves Overpay Billy Wagner?

Considering Wagner’s history as a closer, I’d this is a good deal for the braves.

Look what happened last year with the closer market. The Indians gave Kerry Wood, after his first full season as a closer, a two year deal worth 20.5 million dollars. Now, they are saddled with his contract and trying to move him.

Wagner gives them a closer at relatively cheap cost and likely saved them from spending more on either Gonzalez or Soriano. In the end, if the Braves can add another bat because of the money they saved, it will look like a very good deal.

Not only that, but the Braves are lining themselves for several early round draft picks, which is putting them in a spot to be competitive down the road. Collecting draft picks instead of spending is a great way to save money while wallets are tight.

I see the Braves benefitting long-term from this move.

But I think that realistically, deals like the K-Rod, Fuentes and Wood deals, along with a market that’s flush with relief options, has deflated the expected price for a lot of these relievers.

Yeah, Wagner comes at a fairly reasonable cost, $7M isn’t going to destroy their budget, but the team still had to sign another reliever as well, and now they’ve spent $17M for next season on the pitching staff (Hudson, Wagner, Saito) without addressing an offense that has some serious issues.

The Braves really didn’t save much money, because Soriano and Gonzalez aren’t really in a position to ask for more than $8-10M per over a 2-3 year deal, and considering that they’ll also cost other teams a first-round pick, that deflates their value to other teams, making it cheaper for Atlanta to retain them.

The Braves aren’t really benefiting from this deal unless they get first round picks for both Soriano and Gonzalez, something that doesn’t seem particularly likely given the nature of the free agent compensation system, which by the way is a freaking joke.

I just think that the Braves would’ve been better off offering arbitration to Gonzalez and Soriano, keeping those picks, and then signing say, Saito, Rafael Betancourt and Octavio Dotel for essentially the same value (~$12.5M) that it costed Atlanta to add Wagner.

hell yea.

They do know who Billy Wagner is right? You’d think they’d realize that he’s a POS after all those years with the Mets.

the braves did offer arbitration to gonzalez and soriano and because they are the most sought after relievers on the open market, in no way would they take a discount.

signing betancourt would cost the team a draft pick.

when was the last big name power hitter the braves signed long-term?

they have always been about pitching and defense, developing young talent. that doesnt mean they wont go out and get someone through a trade (teixeira), but they have a system around pitching and defense. Why spend big on a power hitter right now when jason heyward may be a year away?

I think they will add another bat, but only focusing on offense because they spent big on hudson would only create a hole in the bullpen, which is key (as shown by the yanks) to making it deep into the postseason.

I never said the Braves should spend big on a hitter, I just don’t know if spending $7M and their first round pick on a closer is the best allocation of resources.

I agree that spending big on Holliday or Bay isn’t a good idea, but they realistically are trying to contend next season and going into it with an outfield of McLouth, Diaz, Church, and Blanco would be bad after the way last season’s outfield panned out. They could sign Mike Cameron and move Nate McLouth to left field, and then add someone else to join Diaz in right until Heyward is called up while still being able to afford an everyday first baseman, but that likely isn’t possible now without dealing Lowe, Vazquez or Kawakami, and unless they can find a team to eat Lowe’s entire deal, which is unlikely given the way his K/BB and contact rate went last season, they’d be taking away from the strength that could potentially make them a dominant team.

I just don’t think it was necessary to spend that much on a closer considering how much help the offense needs and the fact that their highest paid starter is arguably their worst option certainly doesn’t help, I just would’ve looked at alternatives before handing over $7M and my first round pick for a 40-year-old closer that’s pitched 62 innings since 2007, considering the volatile nature of relievers.

I love the idea of adding cameron to that outfield. I don’t expect the Braves to make a move until they try to deal one of their starters at the winter meetings next week.

Re-signing Adam LaRoche is also a priority.

“I’m just not sure that this was the best route for Atlanta, compared to signing multiple guys to give them options, guys like Takashi Saito, Kiko Calero, Joe Beimel, Brandon Lyon, Kevin Gregg, Octavio Dotel, Kelvim Escobar, and others.”

See also Braves add Saito

Looks like a solid backend bullpen to me.