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.