Ervin Santana declined the Braves’ $15.3 million qualifying offer as expected on Monday. The Braves move into the heart of the offseason knowing they have a hole in the rotation to fill and an extra pick between the first and second rounds of the June draft as compensation when Santana signs elsewhere.
All 12 major leaguers who received qualifying offers a week ago declined them before Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline, making it a perfect 34 out of 34 who’ve turned down the offers in the first three years that the system has been in place.
Santana went 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA in his only season with the Braves, who aren’t planning to pursue him or any other top-tier free agent starting pitchers due to the prices those pitchers will command on the open market. Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said they’ll focus on “B-tier and down” free agent starters, although they could possibly aim a little higher via trades.
“Money could be freed up; there’s a lot of different dynamics there,” Hart said. “But from where we sit today, that would be the sort of level that we would be looking at.”
The Braves lost more than 400 innings with the departures of free agents Santana and Aaron Harang. Hart said they might be interested in re-signing Harang, but would first wait to see how the market shapes up for the 36-year-old right-hander.
The Braves have not decided whether to offer contracts to starters Kris Medlen or Brandon Beachy, who each had Tommy John elbow surgery in March. It is believed the Braves are leaning toward bringing back Medlen, possibly with a smaller salary that includes incentives and a second-year option.
Hart quashes rumor: On the opening day of the general managers meetings, Hart quashed reports that the Braves were "pushing hard" to trade slugging catcher Evan Gattis.
“We are coming in with the idea that we don’t have to trade anybody,” Hart said. “We have received calls on people. We haven’t had any conversations yet. That (Gattis rumor) is absolutely inaccurate. And quite frankly, I think anybody that says that, if you look, I’ve got two corner outfielders who’ve got one year left (before free agency) and I’ve got one potential corner outfielder (Gattis) that’s got four years left (under contractual control).”
With corner outfielders Justin Upton and Jason Heyward eligible for free agency after 2015, the Braves could move Gattis to left field if one of those two is traded.
Outfielder Almonte signed: After nine years in the Yankees organization with just 149 plate appearances in the majors, switch-hitting outfielder Zoilo Almonte figures to get more opportunities with the Braves.
Almonte, 25, hit .211 with two homers in 142 at-bats with New York in two seasons. He spent most of the year in Triple-A and hit .261 with 18 homers and 69 RBIs, with just 29 walks with 105 strikeouts.
“He’s got a good arm and he’s got a little pop,” said Hart. “He’s probably better at either corner, but he could go out and fill in (sporadically) in center.”
Braves sign Veal and Wang: The Braves signed veteran starter Chien-Ming Wang, a former Cy Young Award runner-up, and lefty reliever Donnie Veal to minor league contracts with invitations to major league spring training.
Wang, who’ll be 35 in March, spent last season with the Reds and White Sox Triple-A affiliates, compiling a 13-8 record and 4.12 ERA in 28 starts. The Taiwanese right-hander last pitched in the majors for Toronto in 2013, going 1-2 with a 7.67 ERA in six starts.
Wang was 19-6 with a 3.63 ERA in 218 innings in his first full season in 2006 and 19-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 2007. His career was slowed by a serious foot injury in June 2008.
Veal, 30, spent most of last season with the White Sox Triple-A affiliate after making 50 appearances with Chicago in 2013. The Mississippi native has a 4.87 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings over 100 appearances in four seasons with the Pirates and White Sox and a .205 opponents’ average vs. left-handed batters.
