Braves agree to trade Soriano to Rays for reliever

By David O'Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Indianapolis -- Less than 48 hours after Rafael Soriano accepted arbitration from the Braves, they agreed to a trade that would send him to Tampa Bay for right-handed reliever Jesse Chavez.

But nothing has been simple for the Braves and Soriano this week and neither was the final steps of the trade, which won't be announced before Friday.

Though the teams agreed to terms late Wednesday, an expected Thursday announcement was delayed because team doctors didn't have time to fully examine the medical histories.

That was the only step left to complete, after Soriano's agent on Thursday negotiated a one-year contract worth about $7 million with the Rays, which had also been a requirement of the trade.

A person with knowledge of the trade said the medical related delay was not a threat to stop the trade but simply a matter of logistics with at least one of doctors involved in reviewing the pitchers' records.

Chavez was 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA last season in a team-high 73 appearances for Pittsburgh Pirates, who traded him to Tampa Bay last month for second baseman Akinoria Iwamura when the Rays needed to dump Iwamura's salary.

Thirty-eight days later, the hard-throwing Californian was traded yet again to a team seeking to shed a salary.

The Braves scrambled to trade Soriano after he accepted the team's arbitration offer late Monday. He could have commanded at least $7 million through arbitration and the Braves didn't have room for that salary after signing closer Billy Wagner and set-up man Takashi Saito last week to replace free agents Soriano and Mike Gonzalez.

Given the circumstances and lack of leverage the Braves held in Soriano trade negotiations, acquiring Chavez – and not having to fund part of Soriano's salary – was probably as good an outcome as could reasonably have been expected.

Chavez is not out of minor-league options and the Braves can control his contract for several affordable seasons.

Braves general manager Frank Wren would not comment on the trade until an official announcement is made.

The Braves believe Chavez, 26, has ability – including a 94-96 mph fastball -- to someday work his way into a late-innings role.

With Soriano out of the way, the Braves can now focus on trying to deal starting pitcher Derek Lowe and acquiring a hitter to bolster their lineup. Xavier Nady, Mark DeRosa, and Georgia natives Marlon Byrd and Mike Cameron are among free agent hitters the Braves are interested in. Each of those players has indicated the interest is mutual.

There were at least five teams in trade talks with the Braves for Soriano and Tampa Bay was the best fit, not just because the Rays offered a pitcher the Braves can use, but because their situation was attractive enough for Soriano to approve the trade.

As a free agent who accepted arbitration, Soriano had the right to void trades before June 15. However, agent Peter Greenberg had told Wren right away that Soriano would approve a trade to one of several teams that planned to use him in a late-innings role.

While splitting closer duties with Gonzalez in 2009, Soriano had 27 saves and a .194 opponents' average, and ranked second in the majors with 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings

The Braves offered arbitration to assure themselves of draft-pick compensation when he signed with another team. But Greenberg and Soriano evaluated the market and decided to take arbitration and a projected $7-million-plus salary if he were to go through that process.

As for Chavez, the newcomer will compete for a middle-relief spot in what should be a strong bullpen, provided senior members stay healthy. Chavez grew up in the Los Angeles area and has known Braves lefty Jo-Jo Reyes since Little League.

Chavez said he was pleased to be staying in the National League after all, rather than having to learn so many new hitters in the American League.

"I just want to pitch, that's No. 1 -- and help the team win," said Chavez, who complements his fastball with a quality slider and a changeup that make him effective against left-handed hitters.

Lefties hit .228 against him with a .288 on-base percentage in 2009, while righties hit .299 with a .356 OBP.

Chavez has a 4.48 ERA in 88 career appearances over two seasons. In 2009 he had 63 strikeouts with 31 walks in 67 1/3 innings and didn’t fare well in the late innings of close games, allowing a .327 average and eight homers in 104 at-bats.

Braves lose lefty in Rule 5 draft

The Kansas City Royals took Braves minor league left-hander Edgar Osuna in the Rule 5 draft Thursday that closed the Winter Meetings. The Braves didn't make any selections in the annual draft of unprotected players.

Osuna, 22, was 22-19 with a 3.37 ERA in four minor league seasons. He went 7-10 with a 4.02 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) in 2009 at high-A and Class AA and his strikeouts dipped to 105 in 150 innings, down from 135 in 125 1/3 innings in 2008 at Rome.