We knew about this more than two weeks ago, but Troy Glaus has finally taken (and passed) his physical and is officially a member of the Atlanta Braves. He will wear #25, and there will be a press conference this afternoon to introduce him.
Talking Chop is on the record as liking this signing quite a bit. Yes, he's coming off of surgery, but this is a low risk, high upside signing of a player who should be versatile enough to easily make the switch from third to first. He bridges the gap to the young prospect Freddie Freeman, giving him a full season in the minors to develop, and provides a power presence in the middle of the lineup to protect Chipper Jones.
My mind keeps coming back to the transition that Jim Thome made from third base to first base, and while that happened much earlier in Thome's career, he made the transition effortlessly and didn't lose a step offensively.
[UPDATE 4:30pm]
David O'Brien tweets what the deal is worth:
Glaus base sal is $1.75 million, with $250,000 roster bonus at 100 gms and up to $2 mill more tied to PAs.
So if he's healthy and plays all season he could potentially earn a max of $4 million. Still, not bad at all, and of course we hope he's healthy and mashing.
[UPDATE 8:00pm]
More details on the contract incentives from Buster Olney:
$350,000 for 400 PA; $350,000 for 450 PA; $350,000 for 500 PA; $400,000 for 550 PA: $550,000 for 600 Plate Appearances
Very generous team contract. Good job by Wren's team.
0 recs | 17 comments
signing Glaus was the reason I went from 5 to 6 in the confidence poll
The only reason
jimmontg - January 5, 2010
Wow...
So he improves our whole franchise by 20%? Damn, impact player.
MichaelProcton - January 5, 2010
10%?
Gage23 - January 6, 2010
Hmmm...
how about Jim Thome as backup 1B and top bat off the bench?
And what are the incentives?
Mr. Sanchez - January 5, 2010
I wouldn't mind that
Massive upgrade over Norton, keeps us from having to slide Prado over anytime Glaus needs to sit. only for about 2-2.5M tops, though. Any more, I say pass.
J-Freak - January 5, 2010
Press Conference at 3:30
bravesforever16 - January 5, 2010
So, $4M max, based on hitting…if he hits well enough to attain that bonus, then this is a bargain! I love Frank Wren, and Troy Glaus just became my new favorite 1B.
justincredubil02 - January 5, 2010
I misread that somehow – bonus linked to PAs, not performance – even better!
justincredubil02 - January 5, 2010
I am having dreams
Of Glaus chugging around third in game 7 with Justice, I mean Chipper, screaming to get dirty!
BravesCPO - January 5, 2010 via mobile
I was expecting a deal with $4MM – $6MM in incentives. This is surprisingly cheap for a guy like Glaus if he plays the full year.
Lennox - January 5, 2010
yes it is...
a full year of good health, and Glaus will grossly overperform his contract.
Mr. Sanchez - January 5, 2010
Absolutely.
His lowest value since 2003 outside of last year was $4.5 mil
MichaelProcton - January 5, 2010
(Although that'll take a slight dip at first rather than third.)
MichaelProcton - January 5, 2010
Agreed.
I was sure the value with full incentives would be $7 million or so. This is great and should leave us with great flexibility. With Hinske being likely the final signing (and Hinske likely being cheap—I can’t imagine more than $2 million) we should have plenty of salary room to pick up an impact rental if the need arises during the season.
cavebird - January 6, 2010
Excellent deal for the Braves!
fandave - January 5, 2010
Another good deal for the Braves: Hinske was just inked!
justincredubil02 - January 5, 2010
Just read that on
mlbtraderumors
good pickup, Hinske was a good bench guy here for the Rays in ’08
Blue or CONKZILLA - January 6, 2010
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