Braves Report

The AJC is reporting that former Dodgers pitcher, Derek Lowe, has accepted a 4-year, $60 million offer from the Braves.

They’ve agreed to terms with veteran pitcher Derek Lowe on a four-year, $60 million contract, a person familiar with negotiations said this morning. The deal will be finalized after Lowe takes a physical Wednesday.

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In 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings, including 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA in his last 10 starts.

This is a huge signing for the Braves. Lowe is now the ace of the staff and joins a rotation that will, surprisingly, be quite formidable.

Lowe/Vasquez/Jurrjens/Kawakami/Campillo (or Hanson/Glavine)

John Smoltz is no longer a Brave. Words that any Atlanta fan never thought they would hear as long as they lived. The only time that kind of sentence would be appropriate would be John’s retirement announcement. But, we aren’t going to get that fitting ending. No, a certain team from Boston will get to bask in Smoltzie’s twilight while us Braves fans, the ones who grew up watching him, have watched him for almost two decades now continue to watch as our team is run directly in the southern direction.

This latest departure, clearly the most severe, is just the icing on top of the most abysmal offseason that any Braves fan has ever laid witness to. We’ve lost out on two ace pitchers. We’ve lost out on a talented young arm from overseas. We were royally conned out of a shortstop that was undoubtedly on our team for several hours. One by one, we’ve seen free agents pen contracts elsewhere, and due to unexplained stubbornness, we’ve been unable to complete trades that seemed very possible to pull off. And now, we have to say goodbye to one of the most recognizable Braves of all-time. A hall of famer who no one could match in intensity or resilience, especially not in the playoffs, will be donning a new uniform this upcoming season. Unbelievable. Wren is now left with no choice but to sign some pitchers now (and now it seems he is doing just that).

But, is this the end? For some bizarre reason, I don’t believe that it is. Smoltz’s departure is just yet another one of the glory day players off on his journey elsewhere. I hate to say it, but wake up Braves fans. We have got to stop clinging to days long since passed. Though we won’t admit it to ourselves, we all know that our next winner won’t involve Smoltz, Glavine, or Chipper, who will most likely follow suit after Smoltz now. I mean, what’s to stop Larry from looking for a winner when he becomes a free agent next offseason? Because, though I think we’ll be improved greatly at the end of the season than from the start, we still won’t be able to achieve championship caliber.

I know. It’s hard. It sucks. Life’s over. But, I believe without a shadow of a doubt, that us fans need this. We’re like drug addicts. We need our Smoltzie, or Tommy, or Chipper fix much too often. It’s about time we kick this habit. It’s deteriorating our health. How can we expect to improve if we keep going back to it, expecting these things to lift us up and beyond?

So, I don’t believe that John Smoltz’s absence marks the end of “The Braves.” No, in fact, I think it marks the beginning of something…new. It may seem like the end right now, but remember, you’re just suffering from with drawl symptoms.

According to the AJC, the Braves have signed Japanese pitcher, Kenshin Kawakami.

This is good news for a franchise in desperate need of it. Kawakami could get penciled in as the Braves #2 starter or #4 starter, depending on signings and ST. He is flying to Atlanta for a physical.

AtlantaBraves.com and Mark Bowman’s blog are reporting that veteran pitcher, Cy Young winner, future Hall-of-Famer, and face of the Braves, John Smoltz, is likely to sign with the Red Sox tomorrow afternoon:

A Major League source who was in contact with Smoltz on Wednesday night said the 41-year-old right-hander will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox..

Smoltz, who had been with the Braves since making his Major League debut in 1988, will make a guaranteed $5.5 million. The source said his offer also includes “very attainable” incentives that could raise his 2009 earnings to $10 million.

So, what does this mean for Braves fans? To be blunt, it feels like salt on a wound a dagger through the heart. The Braves’ 2008 season left a lot to be desired, and this off season has been far too quiet. With the only notable addition of Javier Vazquez, the starting rotation looks to be in worse shape than ever, raising a lot of questions in the minds of Braves fans. The loss of Smoltz, then, despite his current injury, would seem to be monumental.

Moreover, Smoltz was a player whose name has been synonymous with the Braves for over two decades and the team that I grew up with. He was the dominating pitcher for the past couple of years, which included roles both as a starter and closer. He was absolutely phenomenal and proved that when he earned his 3000 career strikeout in April last season. No longer being able to see him as a Brave is personally devastating; the face of this team just seems to be changing so quickly. It’s hard to put my emotions into words, but it feels like a cornerstone has just been ripped from the foundation of this team, and all we can do as fans is watch. Although I hope Frank Wren does something to fix it, I think I can safely say this team will never be the same.

Farewell, Smoltzie. Thanks for all of the great memories.