Braves Sign Soriano For Two Years
According to Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves have signed closer Rafael Soriano to a two-year deal. This buys out one year of free agency and also removes him from a deep free agent closer class.
The deal is worth $9MM: $2.4MM in ’08, $6.1MM in ’09, and a $500K signing bonus. Solid move.
LaRoche For Gonzalez Offer Withdrawn
David O’Brien’s latest for the AJC confirms that the Braves have traded starter Horacio Ramirez to the Mariners for Rafael Soriano. Unless I’m missing something, John Schuerholz pillaged and maybe even plundered Bill Bavasi.
Additionally, the Braves have withdrawn their offer of Adam LaRoche for Mike Gonzalez. That makes sense given the completion of the Soriano deal. O’Brien opines that Atlanta could re-engage the Angels, hoping to acquire some combination of Chone Figgins, Casey Kotchman, and a pitcher.
Gonzalez has been cleverly subtracted from the Pirates’ front page, with Ian Snell replacing him.