The Braves have signed 33-year old righty swinging Troy Glaus to take over as the starting 1B in 2010. His deal is worth $2 million bucks plus incentives and it’s a 1-year deal. Glaus played in only 14 games last season as he was recovering most of the year from shoulder surgery and he was 5 for 29 (.172 avg, .491 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. He has now played in 1,409 games in his 12 years in the majors and he is 1,276 for 4,998 (.255 avg, .856 OPS) with 837 runs scored, 304 homers, 879 RBIs and 56 stolen bases. This is a good gamble for the Braves as Glaus is a excellent power hitter.

The Braves have traded 33-year old righty starting pitcher Javier Vazquez and 25-year old lefty reliever Boone Logan to the Yankees for 25-year old switch hitting outfielder Melky Cabrera, 24-year old lefty reliever Mike Dunn and 19-year old righty starting pitcher Arodys Vizcaino. Vazquez was incredible in his only season with the Braves as he started 32 games in which he was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He only allowed 181 hits in 219 1/3 innings for the Braves last season while whiffing 238 batters showing just how nasty he was. The Braves are saving a ton of money ($11 million bucks) as the Yanks are picking up his whole contract. Boone Logan pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Braves last season in his only year in Atlanta and he was 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. 25-year old switch-hitting outfielder Melky Cabrera will start somewhere in the outfield for the Braves but he wasn’t the type of big bat the Braves were seeking for Vazquez. He played in 154 games for the Yankees last season and he was 133 for 485 (.274 avg, .752 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 13 homers, 68 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He has now played in 569 games in his major league career and he is 518 for 1,923 (.269 avg, .716 OPS) with 250 runs scored, 36 homers, 228 RBIs and 44 stolen bases. He is also a good defensive player. Mike Dunn will get a chance to earn a spot in the Braves’ bullpen this spring. Dunn pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. Dunn also pitched in 38 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 4-3 with 2 saves, a 3.31 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Dunn whiffed 99 batters in only 73 1/3 innings last season in the minors allowing only 58 hits showing how nasty his stuff is. But, he needs to throw more strikes as he walked 46 batters last year in the minors. Dunn was the Yankees #16 rated prospect heading into the 2009 season according to Baseball America. Arodys Vizcaino was the #18 prospect of the Yankees heading into the 2009 season according to Baseball America and he showed why last season. He pitched in 10 games (all starts) in A-ball last year and he was 2-4 with a 2.13 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He has now pitched 2 years in the minors working in 22 games (16 starts) in which he was 5-6 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He has whiffed 100 batters in 86 1/3 innings in his minor league career and he has only allowed 72 hits showing how nasty his stuff is.

The Braves have signed 26-year old righty swinging outfielder Brent Clevlen to a minor league deal. Clevlen played in 128 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 127 for 479 (.265 avg, .768 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 16 homers, 64 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He last played in the majors in 2008 with the Tigers. Clevlen has played in 55 games in his major league career and he is 17 for 73 (.233 avg, .707 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 3 homers and 7 RBIs. He also has whiffed 30 times in the majors as he has some holes in his swing. I still like this pick-up for the Braves as Clevlen used to be one of the better prospects in the Tigers’ minor league system.

The Braves have signed 30-year old lefty swinging infielder Joe Thurston to a 1-year deal. Thurston played in 124 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 60 for 267 (.225 avg, .645 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 1 homer, 25 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 183 games in his major league career and he is 75 for 333 (.225 avg, .630 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 1 homer, 27 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Thurston is not a lock to make the Braves out of spring training so he better come to camp ready to play.

The Braves have signed 32-year old righty swinging 1B/OF Mitch Jones to a minor league deal. Jones played in 8 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 4 for 13 (.308 avg, .785 OPS) with 1 run scored. He also played in 108 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 115 for 387 (.297 avg, 1.015 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 35 homers, 103 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Jones has played 10 years in the minors in which he has played in 1,069 games and he is 987 for 3,877 (.255 avg, .853 OPS) with 656 runs scored, 235 homers, 754 RBIs and 52 stolen bases. It never hurts to take a chance on a guy like Jones who might just need a chance in the big leagues to prove what he can do kind of like Jack Cust.

The Braves have decided to let 27-year old lefty swinging 2B Kelly Johnson walk by not offering him a contract for the 2010 season. Johnson played in 106 games last season for the Braves and he was 68 for 303 (.224 avg, .692 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 8 homers, 29 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Johnson played four years for the Braves playing in 490 games in which he was 439 for 1,661 (.264 avg, .777 OPS) with 270 runs scored, 45 homers, 206 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. The Braves shouldn’t miss Johnson too much as his offense really hurt them last year.

The Braves have designated 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder Ryan Church for assignment to make room on the roster for Rafael Soriano. Church played in 111 games last season for the Braves & Mets in which he was 98 for 359 (.273 avg, .722 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 4 homers, 40 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. He has now played in 548 games in his six year major league career and he is 456 for 1,675 (.272 avg, .787 OPS) with 226 runs scored, 51 homers, 242 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. The Braves weren’t too impressed with how Church played for them after coming over the Mets in a trade last summer so they won’t miss him.

UPDATE: The Braves decided over the weekend to not offer Ryan Church a contract for the 2010 season making him a free agent.

29-year old righty reliever Rafael Soriano has accepted arbitration from the Atlanta Braves. He did that because he knew he would get more cash in arbitration than free agency which was smart on his part. But, he will request a trade from the Braves to a team that will use him as a closer. This is also good for the Braves as Soriano will be in high demand. Soriano pitched in 77 games (0 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 1-6 with 27 saves, a 2.97 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. In three years with the Braves, Soriano has pitched in 162 games (0 starts) in which he is 4-10 with 39 saves, a 2.95 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. This was a good thing for the Braves who will get better pieces for Soriano than the draft pick they would have gotten if he rejected arbitration and signed with a new team.

UPDATE: The Braves have traded Rafael Soriano to the Tampa Bay Rays for 26-year old righty reliever Jesus Chavez. Chavez pitched in 73 games (0 starts) for the Pirates last season and he was 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He has now pitched in 88 games (0 starts) in his two years in the majors and he is 1-5 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Chavez has a good arm and the Braves will likely use him in middle relief in 2010. This was a trade that had to be made because Soriano would not have been happy in Atlanta setting up Billy Wagner.

The Braves are looking to make a big splash at the Winter Meetings this week as they are looking for offense. The Braves will likely be looking to trade Derek Lowe and Kelly Johnson this week. They are looking for a corner outfielder with pop in return for Lowe which means it will be a big market team that they will likely be dealing with. The Braves might also have to include a second player to make a deal work if it includes Lowe. The Braves don’t want to trade Javier Vazquez but he could bring back a lot in trade based on how he pitched last season. I still wouldn’t move Vazquez. 1B will likely be handled in free agency as there are a lot of interesting names including guys like Aubrey Huff, Adam LaRoche, Russell Branyan, Nick Johnson and Hank Blalock. The Braves must add a couple of big bats to what they already have or they will waste outstanding pitching again in 2010.

27-year old righty swinging shortstop Yunel Escobar finished in a tie with Mark Reynolds for 20th in the N.L. MVP voting. Escobar played in 141 games for the Braves last season and he was 158 for 528 (.299 avg, .812 OPS) with 89 runs scored, 14 homers, 76 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has now played in 371 games in his three years with the Braves and he is 410 for 1,361 (.301 avg, .801 OPS) with 214 runs scored, 29 homers, 164 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Escobar is one of the players the Braves will be building around in the near future.