The Braves have signed 28-year old righty reliever Adam Russell to a minor league deal. Russell pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Tampa Bay Rays last year and he was 1-2 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He has now pitched in 85 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 8-3 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. This was an excellent signing for the Braves as Russell has a big time arm and major league experience. He is going to have a really good shot of making the Braves out of spring training in 2012.

The Braves have re-signed 25-year old lefty starter/reliever Yohan Flande to a minor league deal. Flande pitched in 33 games (19 starts) in AAA-ball for the Braves last year and he was 8-8 with 1 save, a 4.01 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He has now pitched in 122 games (103 starts) in his first six years in the minors and he is 42-25 with 1 save, a 3.44 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He will likely start the year in AAA and got a shot with the Braves in 2012 at some point if it’s warranted.

The Braves have signed 25-year old righty reliever Jason Rice to a minor league deal. Rice pitched in 45 games (1 start) in AAA-ball for the Red Sox last year and he was 4-5 with 4 saves, a 3.69 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has now pitched in 256 games (48 starts) in his first seven years in the minors and he was 26-31 with 24 saves, a 3.91 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Rice will get a shot to win a job in the pen next spring.

The Braves have signed 30-year old righty swinging catcher Jose Yepez. Yepez played in 48 games in AAA-ball for the Mariners last year and he was 47 of 153 (.307 avg, .846 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 3 homers, 26 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 631 games in his first 11 years in the minors and he was 567 of 2,097 (.270 avg, .743 OPS) with 282 runs scored, 37 homers, 309 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Yepez will likely split time behind the plate in AAA with J.C. Boscan in 2012.

The Braves have signed 30-year old righty swinging 2B/SS/3B Josh Wilson to a minor league deal. Wilson played in 60 games for the D-Backs & Brewers last year and he was 19 for 85 (.224 avg, .611 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 356 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 211 of 930 (.227 avg, .597 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 9 homers, 67 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Wilson will compete with Drew Sutton for a spot on the Braves bench next spring.

The Braves have signed 29-year old lefty reliever Dusty Hughes to a minor league deal. Hughes pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Twins last year and he was 1-0 with a 9.95 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP. He has now pitched in 80 games (1 start) in his first three years in the majors and he is 2-5 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Hughes will get a shot to replace George Sherrill as a situational lefty out of he pen next spring.

The Braves have signed 28-year old switch-hitting 2B/SS/3B Drew Sutton to a minor league deal. Sutton played in 31 games for the Red Sox last year and he was 17 for 54 (.315 avg, .807 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 0 homers and 7 RBIs. He has now played in 86 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 41 for 159 (.258 avg, .724 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 3 homers and 24 RBIs. Sutton will have a good shot to win a job on the Braves’ bench next spring because of his versatility and bat.

The Braves have signed 25-year old switch-hitting outfielder Luis Durango to a minor league deal. Durango played in 2 games for the Astros last year and he was 1 for 6 (.167 avg, .452 OPS) with 1 RBI. He also played in 108 games in AAA-ball last year for the Padres & Astros and he was 85 for 331 (.257 avg, .640 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 0 homers, 24 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. Durango has now played in 39 games in three years in the majors and he is 19 for 65 (.292 avg, .653 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 0 homers, 5 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. The Braves are likely going to stash Durango in AAA as a very solid insurance policy in case they suffer some injuries in the outfield in 2012.

The Braves only have one big hole in the field right now and that is at shortstop. They only need minor tinkering to contend and with that in mind, here are the trio of free agents I would go after if I were running the team:

1. Yuniesky Betancourt - If the Braves decide to let Alex Gonzalez leave in free agency, Betancourt might be in their price range. He’s nowhere near the glove man that Gonzalez is, but he is a more consistent hitter.

2. Aaron Miles - The Braves could use a solid utility infielder and Miles fits the bill. He also would give the Braves solid insurance in case Chipper Jones goes down to injury.

3. Todd Coffey - The Braves could use a veteran righty for the bullpen and Todd Coffey would be a good fit to fill Scott Linebrink’s role from last year.

47-year old Fredi Gonzalez finished 5th in the voting for the 2011 N.L. Manager of the Year Award. Gonzalez led the Braves to a 89-73 record (54.9%) in 2011, but they faded badly at the end of the year costing them a playoff spot. Gonzalez is now 365-352 (50.9%) in his first five years as a major league manager. Look for him to continue to do a solid job for the Braves, who are going to be good again in 2012.