Yardbarker: Billy Wagner

D12: Billy Wagner heads back to NL, joins effort in Atlanta

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:14:44 -0500

Welcome to 'Duk's Dozen, a streamlined selection of 12 morning-fresh links and items to start your baseball day. It welcomes your email submissions and tips here or via Twitter. 1. Billy Wagner(notes) grew up as a Braves fan in Virginia and now he's headed to the team for a one-year deal. "I grew up loving Dale Murphy," he reminisced on Wednesday. "I remember Bob Horner hitting four home runs in a game." Atlanta Journal Constitution2. Wagner will be paid...

Billy Wagner Fallout: Is Omar Minaya too Nice?

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:20:00 -0500

Since it was announced yesterday that the Braves had signed Billy Wagner to a one year contract, Mets GM Omar Minaya has been getting destroyed in the media. The reason? Minaya traded Wagner this August for two fringe prospects instead of holding onto Wagner. As a result, the Red Sox offered Wagner salary arbitration at the end of the season and the Braves ultimately signed Wagner, which meant that the Red Sox were now in line to pick up the Braves' first round pick.What a bummer for the ...

Hot Stove Goodness: Billy Wagner

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:37:00 -0500

The Atlanta Braves made another move toward solidifying their pitching staff this week, signing Billy Wagner to a $7 million, one-year deal. The left-handed closer and six-time All-Star will replace last year’s tag team closing duo, Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. Wagner, a self-proclaimed life-long Braves fan, went 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA and 22 strikeouts in just 13.2 innings for the Boston Red Sox last year, but missed most of the season after undergoing elbow ligament replacement surgery la...

Billy Wagner Inks Contract with Braves

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:55:05 -0500

The Atlanta Braves entered the offseason looking to upgrade their bullpen. It didn’t take long to satisfy that need. On Wednesday, the Braves signed Billy Wagner to a one-year contract worth a reported $7 million. The 38-year-old Wagner will be Atlanta’s closer for the 2010 baseball season. Last year, he played 17 games with the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. He finished with an ERA of 1.72 and in 15.2 innings of work he gave up only eight hits wile striking out 26 batters. For...

Out with the Old, In with the Old(er)

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:29:06 -0500

The word on the interweb streets today is that the Braves landed themselves a closer for the 2010 season by coaxing graybeard lefty Billy Wagner from the Red Sox. So, great. Now the Braves have a closer. A 38-year-old closer, one year removed from Tommy John surgery, and who was once quoted as saying he had no plans to pitch past the 2009 season. And since the Sox shrewdly offered him arbitration, Atlanta’s 1st round draft pick in 2010 also slides up the coast to Boston. Outstanding. It's the Astros' old stopper, the Phils' old headache, the Mets' old patient, the BoSox' new draft picks, and the Braves' new closer, all wrapped (in Ace bandages) into one. This is a vast improvement,...

Atlanta Braves Sign Billy Wagner To 1-Year Deal

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:43:12 -0500

The Atlanta Braves signed veteran left-hand reliever Billy Wagner to a on-year $7 million deal today. The Braves also offered an option to pay Wagner $6.5 million in 2011 plus a $250,000 buy out. “We feel this is a great start for us to put together a championship-quality team for 2010,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said [...]

Billy Wagner in a Braves' Uniform

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:46:04 -0500

The newest Atlanta Braves player and closer, Billy Wagner: Here are some paraphrased quotes from the presser: Wagner was at the top of the off-season list of closers list for the Braves. In his first appearance back from TJ surgery, he threw against Atlanta, and was on the Braves' radar from that point. Wagner will enjoy playing closer to home. Wagner never felt any discomfort in his road back from TJ. First face-to-face discussion with Wagner and the Braves was last Tuesday...

Billy Wagner Heading To Hotlanta

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:47:07 -0500

It turns out Billy Wagner did more for the Boston Red Sox than he’ll ever know. By offering Wagner arbitration on Tuesday, the Red Sox assured themselves of two draft picks if he decided to sign elsewhere. And now those two draft picks will become reality as Wagner has decided to return to the National League [...]

Former Met watch; Wagner & Putz...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:27:00 -0500

At one time I hoped the Mets would roll into the playoff's with the best bullpen combo in the league, if the Mets entered the seventh inning with a lead the game had the potential to be over going from Wagner to Putz to K-Rod. Obvious things didn't work and two parts of the trio are moving on...Billy Wagner has signed a one year deal with the Braves worth 7MM to be their closer. Wagner will be the Braves closer, who we will have to face 19 times a year...“We feel this is a great start...

Wagner's arrival is only the start

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:00:39 -0500

Picking up Billy Wagner is a great move for the Braves, but it's only the start. The team still needs more offense, Ken Rosenthal says.

Scratch Billy Wagner Off the List

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:10:57 -0500

Scratch Billy Wagner Off the List If Billy Wagner was on the short list for closers the Detroit Tigers might be interested in, he's no longer available. Wagner signed last night with the Atlanta Braves, agreeing to a one-year, $7 million contract. The deal includes a $6.5 million vesting option for 2011, which will kick in if Wagner finishes 50 games next season.

Wagner Signs With Braves

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:29:00 -0500

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Atlanta Braves are close to signing veteran reliever Billy Wagner to a one-year, $7 million deal. The deal will also include a vesting option for the second year. Rosenthal also tells us that the vesting option is worth $6.5 million, and will become guaranteed if Wagner can throw 50 games next year. The deal is pending a physical. Obviously this has nothing to do with the Yankees, but it's the first pretty big signing of the hot stove season and he was ...

Braves Sign Closer Billy Wagner

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:20:48 -0500

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP The Atlanta Braves signed closer Billy Wanger. Browse more photos » After a few weeks of inactivity the Braves picked up the pace Tuesday night and agreed in principal to a one-year, $7 million contract with closer Billy Wagner. The deal is pending Wagner passing a physical, which will apparently take place in Atlanta on Wednesday. If all is well, I would expect an off...

Wagner to the Braves

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:07:43 -0500

Wow. The Braves waste no time signing Billy Wagner once Boston made their arbitration decision. Relief pitcher Billy Wagner has signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Atlanta Braves, according to a report on Foxsports.com. The deal includes a $6.5 million vesting option for a second year that would become guaranteed if Wagner finishes 50 [...]

Why Billy Wagner Makes No Sense for the Tampa Bay Rays

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:00:17 -0500

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP Browse more photos » Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-par...