SATURDAY: Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears the deal is worth $3.3MM total, but he cautions that he doesn't have the exact figure yet (Twitter link).
FRIDAY: The Braves have agreed to sign Gerald Laird to a two-year contract, the team announced. The Braves expect the CSE client to add value in a reserve role.
“Gerald gives us a proven Major League veteran behind the plate,” Braves GM Frank Wren said. “He was high on our list of off-season goals and we are fortunate to acquire a catcher with his level of experience, not only in the regular season, but also in the postseason.”
The 33-year-old catcher hit .282/.337/.374 with two homers in 191 plate appearances for the Tigers last season, his best offensive year since 2008. Laird is a career .244/.303/.359 hitter in the big leagues and has thrown out approximately 27% of attempted basestealers over the last three years.
Atlanta needed a new backup catcher behind Brian McCann after David Ross signed with the Red Sox. Laird did not make Tim Dierkes' Top 50 Free Agents List.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (on Twitter). MLB.com's Mark Bowman reported a deal was close and added that the sides had agreed to a two-year contract.
