In large part because of salary concerns, the Braves are likely to nontender second baseman Marcus Giles and reliever Chris Reitsma according to David O’Brien.
There are still some second basemen on the free agent market, but Giles should intrigue several clubs. He’ll turn 29 in May and aside from 2006 hits well above average for a second baseman. The Devil Rays, Red Sox, and Mets would be smart to consider him.
Reitsma turns 29 in December. The former Braves closer had Tommy John surgery in July, so he could still recover in time to help a team during the 2007 season. He had three fairly respectable seasons prior to 2006 and even made 21 starts in ’02. For a few million bucks he’d be a good play in either role. I’d try him as a fifth starter option; he has strong groundball tendencies. Overall, the free agent market is up 47% this winter.
