The Braves released Billy Wagner from their 40-man roster Wednesday, resolving a paper-pushing issue that has loomed since the 39-year-old closer announced he was retiring at the end of last season.
The issue was complicated, Braves general manager Frank Wren said, because Wagner was in the middle of a multi-year contract when he decided to retire. He had a $6.5 million option for 2011 that automatically vested.
Had the Braves put Wagner on the voluntary retired list, he would have been tied to the Braves for the rest of his career. Had the Braves simply released him, they would have been on the hook for his 2011 salary.
So the agreement they reached Wednesday allowed for the Braves to release him, Wagner to agree to waive his 2011 salary, the Braves to retain exclusive rights to Wagner until the end of the 2011 season and for Wagner to be granted the right to free agency in 2012, if he chooses to come out of retirement.
Wren said Wagner has no immediate plans to come out of retirement, but the players’ union wanted to set a different precedent in these cases.
When asked if this meant Wagner was entertaining any thoughts of coming out of retirement, Wren said: “No, not at all. It hasn’t changed anything. He’s perfectly happy doing what he’s doing, going to Little League games, and being a part of the family. He’s very content.”
Jurrjens to throw
Jair Jurrjens is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday in Washington, his first work off a mound since leaving a March 24 spring start with pain in his right side. That should give the Braves an indication whether he'll be able to make his first start of the season Wednesday in Milwaukee.
If Jurrjens is unable to go, the Braves can place him on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 25, start minor leaguer Mike Minor in Milwaukee and have Jurrjens back as early as April 9 against the Phillies.
“All the time I’ve played catch, it felt fine, no problem,” said Jurrjens, who played catch three times in the past four days. “I feel good. We’ll see tomorrow.”
Beachy's stellar spring
Brandon Beachy pitched four scoreless innings in his final tune-up of a spring in which he beat out Minor to win the fifth starter's spot. He showed again Wednesday just why, allowing five singles but no walks, and he struck out five. He worked around jams in the first and fourth innings, stranding four runners in scoring position.
He didn’t let the fairly deserted stands at Turner Field -- he said he could hear the radio broadcasters from the mound -- distract him. He was able to work in a few rare sinkers and sliders -- the slider a new pitch he has added this spring.
Beachy finished 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA, allowing two earned runs in 20 innings. He walked four and struck out 21. He’s scheduled to make his first start Monday in Milwaukee, in search of his first major league win in his fourth start.
“I can’t wait to win,” Beachy said. “I want to have a number other than a zero next to my name.”
The Braves lost 2-0 to the Twins on Wednesday to finish their exhibition season 17-13-4.
Eyes on Gomez, Teheran
First baseman Mauro Gomez went from virtual unknown to man of the hour Tuesday night when he hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat the Twins in his first major league at-bat of spring training. Gomez made the trip to Turner Field as a minor league extra and had not appeared in a spring-training game with the major league club. Originally signed by the Rangers, the Braves got him as a minor league free agent last year. Gomez hit 16 home runs for Double-A Mississippi last season, tied for second-most among all Braves minor leaguers.
The Braves' minor league rosters haven't been finalized yet, but Wren indicated Tuesday that the Braves are strongly considering having Julio Teheran start the season in Triple-A Gwinnett.
Wren mentioned Teheran, along with Minor and Rodrigo Lopez, as potential members of the Gwinnett rotation, in explaining why the Braves decided to assign Kenshin Kawakami to Double-A Mississippi. They want to keep the Triple-A rotation open to pitchers who could have an impact in Atlanta this season.
Teheran, the No. 5 overall prospect in Baseball America, was projected by some to open the season in Double-A before moving to Gwinnett. An impressive spring for Teheran appears to have sped up that timetable.
