Braves signed RHP Takashi Saito to a one-year, $3.2 million contract.
Saito could make an additional $2.3 million in incentives, the majority of them based on games finished. With Billy Wagner and Saito in tow, the Braves have filled the void of Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano in a little under 36 hours. Better yet for Atlanta, Saito did not qualify as a Type A or Type B free agent, meaning the Braves will not have to surrender an additional draft pick. Saito, who turns 40 in February, posted a 2.43 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP and a 52/25 K/BB ratio in 55 2/3 innings with the Red Sox in 2009. He's no longer the dominant pitcher he was upon his arrival in 2005 and 2006, seeing an increase in his walk rate over the past two seasons, but he is still one of the more reliable set-up men in the game. |