The Braves have signed 34-year old righty reliever Buddy Carlyle to a minor league deal. He pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last year and he was 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He pitched with the Braves from 2007-09 in which he pitched in 83 games (20 starts) and he was 10-8 with a 5.09 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Carlyle has now pitched in 112 games (27 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 11-12 with a 5.58 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He is going to have a hard time winning a job in the Braves’ bullpen this spring.

The Atlanta Braves have done virtually nothing to improve their team over the winter so far. The Braves must feel like they are good to go for the 2012 season. There have been rumblings that the Braves have been offering Martin Prado and Jair Jurrjens around in deals but they have not found any they like quite yet. Here is a look at the players the Braves have brought in so far this winter:

In the field: Infielders Drew Sutton and Josh Wilson have both been inked to minor league deals. They will compete to replace Brooks Conrad in 2012. Outfielder Luis Durango will battle for a backup spot this spring. That is pretty much the extent of the position player talent that the Braves have brought in so far this winter.

On the mound: The Braves have brought in righty Adam Russell and lefty Dusty Hughes to compete for bullpen spots this spring. Not much to brag about.

Overall: The Braves really need to add some talent to the roster if they are going to go head to head with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Florida Marlins in 2012.

The Braves have re-signed 34-year old 2B/SS Jack Wilson to a 1-year deal. Wilson played in 17 games for the Braves last year and he was 9 for 41 (.220 avg, .482 OPS) with 3 runs scored. He played in 79 games overall last year for the Mariners & Braves last year and he was 52 of 214 (.243 avg, .559 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 0 homers, 11 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has played in 1,330 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 1,282 of 4,819 (.266 avg, .675 OPS) with 561 runs scored, 61 homers, 422 RBIs and 43 stolen bases. Wilson will back up 22-year old rookie shortstop Tyler Pastornicky in 2012.

The Braves have released 27-year old lefty reliever Dustin Richardson. Richardson pitched in 46 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Marlins & Braves last year and he was 4-1 with 2 saves, a 4.79 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He has two years of major league experience. He has pitched in 29 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he was 0-0 with a 3.31 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP. The Braves are loaded with solid lefties in the bullpen, so they essentially did Richardson a favor by letting him go.

The Braves have released 23-year old lefty swinging shortstop Marcus Lemon. Lemon played in 108 games in A+AA-ball for the Braves last year and he was 86 of 339 (.254 avg, .636 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 2 homers, 21 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He has now played in 615 games in his first six years in the minors and he is 609 of 2,249 (.271 avg, .708 OPS) with 303 runs scored, 17 homers, 196 RBIs and 57 stolen bases. This is not much of a loss for the Braves.