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Cover Those Bases

Braves Extend Ender Inciarte

12/23/2016

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The Atlanta Braves extended outfielder Ender Inciarte to a long-term contract on Friday. 

The sides have agreed to a five-year deal that will pay Inciarte a total of $30.525 million. He will earn a $3.5 million signing bonus before making $2 million in 2017, $4 million in 2018, $5 million in 2019, $7 million in 2020 and $8 million in 2021. The deal comes with an option for the 2022 season valued at $9 million with a $1.025 million buyout. 

The team has since announced the extension.

"We are thrilled to announce an extension for Ender," GM John Coppolella said in a press release. "We feel that he's the best defensive center fielder in baseball and one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.  Ender brings so much to our club, on and off the field, and we are happy to have him under club control for at least the next six years."


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Braves Sign Sean Rodriguez To Two-Year, $11.5 Million Deal 

11/24/2016

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The Atlanta Braves have signed super utility man Sean Rodriguez, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported Thursday. 

FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports that Rodriguez received a two-year, $11.5 million deal from Atlanta. He will earn $5 million in both 2017 and 2018 in addition to a  $1.5 million signing bonus. 

The Braves have been very active thus far this offseason, as Rodriguez is their third notable move. They signed two veteran starting pitchers--R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon--before adding Rodriguez to their lineup. 

Going forward, Rodriguez is expected to mostly play second base with Atlanta. He does have experience at almost every position on the diamond, though, playing first, second, shortstop, third, right field, center field and left field all just last season with the Pirates.

Five teams reportedly showed interest in Rodriguez. The Blue Jays, Pirates and Dodgers were all mentioned as suitors. MLBTradeRumors.com pegged Rodriguez for a two-year, $12 million deal, so he got about what was expected money-wise. 

Rodriguez had a great 2016 season, posting a .270/.349/.510 line with 18 home runs and 56 RBI over 342 plate appearances. According to FanGraphs, he was worth 1.9 Wins Above Replacement. 

--Devan Fink

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Braves Sign Bartolo Colon to One-Year, $12.5 Million Deal

11/11/2016

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The Atlanta Braves have signed right-handed pitcher Bartolo Colon on Friday, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that Colon inked a one-year, $12.5 million contract with the team. 

The Braves have been busy signing aging pitchers over the past two days. Colon marks the second move they have made for a starter over the age of 40, coming on the heels of the R.A. Dickey signing on Thursday.

Atlanta has been in the market for starting pitching throughout the offseason, with general manager John Coppollela noting that the team was looking to add one or two veteran arms. The 43-year-old Colon certainly fits that bill. 

In 2016, Colon went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA and a 128-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 191 2/3 innings pitched with the Mets. For him, his 2017 salary will be a nice raise over the $7.25 million he made last season. 

--Devan Fink

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Braves Sign R.A. Dickey to One-Year, $8 Million Deal 

11/10/2016

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The Atlanta Braves signed right-handed starter R.A. Dickey to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2018 season, they announced Thursday morning. 

FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reported that Dickey earned $8 million in the agreement. He makes $7.5 million in base salary for 2017, while potentially earning an $8 million team option for 2018 that comes with a $500,000 buyout.

Atlanta had been looking for starting pitching on the free agent market. General manager John Coppolella told SB Nation's Chris Cotillo that the team may not be done looking for starters. 

"We will be looking for more rotation help," Coppolella said. "At least one and maybe two [starters]."

Dickey's choice of Atlanta was due to its proximity to his Nashville home, agent Bo McKinnis told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Atlanta's new park that opens in 2017, in particular, is 30 minutes closer to Dickey's home than their old one. 

This past season, Braves' starters posted the second-worst Wins Above Replacement (per FanGraphs) among all Major League staffs. In terms of run prevention, Atlanta ranked third-worst in team ERA from their starters with a 4.87 mark. 

Dickey, by no means, was a big splash for the Braves, but he should be able to provide some quality innings going forward.  

The 42-year-old Dickey spent 2016 with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 30 games (29 starts), the knuckleballer went 10-15 with a 4.46 ERA and a 126-63 strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.03 FIP; 4.76 xFIP) in 169 2/3 innings pitched. 

In parts of 14 Major League seasons, Dickey has a 4.01 ERA and a 2.25 K/BB ratio over 1,883 2/3 Major League innings. He won the 2012 National League Cy Young award while with the Mets but has spent the last four seasons with the Blue Jays. 

--Devan Fink

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Braves Have Three Finalists For Manager Position

10/9/2016

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The Atlanta Braves have settled upon three candidates for their open managerial position.

Bud Black, Ron Washington and Brian Snitker are the finalists for the Braves' manager spot, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. 

Heyman reports that a final decision is expected this week.

The Braves fired manager Fredi Gonzalez on May 17 after leading the team to a 9-28 start. Replacing him was Snitker, who finished the season with a much more respectable 59-65 record. 

As for Washington and Black, neither have managed since 2014 and 2015, respectively. Both would come with much experience; Washington had a successful tenure as manager of the Texas Rangers, and Black had something similar with the San Diego Padres. 

Whomever is hired, they will be expected to continue in the Braves' rebuilding process. With the team moving to a new ballpark in 2017, they hope they can contend sooner rather than later. 

--Devan Fink

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