Whatever it takes to get Shohei Ohtani, right?
Atlanta Braves reliever Pierce Johnson joined MLB Radio and discussed Shohei Ohtani, making his pitch to sign the talented two-way player. Pierce Johnson's message to Ohtani was pretty straightforward.
"If you want to have a chance to win every single year and have fun while doing it, Atlanta is the place for you," Johnson said. "I'll keep working on my Japanese so I can talk to you and crack jokes and we can go get all the sushi you want."
We wrote it
Mananging Editor Lindsay Crosby wrote about Atlanta's two depth signings from Wednesday.
The Atlanta Braves have signed relievers Penn Murfee and Jackson Stephens to split contracts for 2024, the team announced.
A "split" contract is a convertible contract that has two salaries - one for time in the minors and one for time in the majors.
Stephens, 29, has spent the last two years with Atlanta after being non-tendered by the Cincinnati Reds after the 2019 season. Appearing in 44 games, he's 3-3 with a 3.56 ERA. A frequent long man out of the pen, Stephens missed time in 2023 thanks to a late-season elbow injury.
Murfee, also 29, was claimed off of waivers by Atlanta on November 14th and non-tendered days later. Previously with the Seattle Mariners, he's 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 80 career major league appearances across the previous two seasons, striking out 92 in that span.
How long until pitchers and catchers report?
74 days. Atlanta's expected to ask pitchers and catchers to report on Monday, February 12th, in advance of their first spring training game on February 24th against the Tampa Bay Rays. An official announcement of the reporting date will come in January.
Here's the odds for the top 10 teams to win the 2024 World Series according to FanDuel
Atlanta Braves - +600
Los Angeles Dodgers - +700
Texas Rangers - +850
Houston Astros - +850
Philadelphia Phillies - +1000
New York Yankees - +1400
Tampa Bay Rays - +1500
Toronto Blue Jays - +1500
Baltimore Orioles - +1500
Minnesota Twins - +1800
Seattle Mariners - +1800
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