Hudson extension close to being finalized

Hudson extension close to being finalized (AJC)

The Braves are expected to announce a three- or four-year contract extension for Tim Hudson Monday or Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. His contract extension is expected to be worth between $11 million and $12 million annually, with an additional vesting option year tied to innings pitched. The Braves and Hudson's agent have been negotiating the final details of the deal since Thursday. The pitcher wanted the fourth year guaranteed, instead of three years with two option years as the Braves had proposed.

Hudson gave Oakland, and later the Braves, a March 1 deadline to get an extension worked out or he'd end negotiations and enter free agency after the season. The deadline hastened Oakland's decision to trade him to Atlanta in December for outfielder Charles Thomas and pitchers Juan Cruz and young lefty Dan Meyer.

Hudson could have commanded a five-year contract worth $60 million or more if he waited and entered the free agent market next winter. He'd be the top pitcher available. But the Alabama native is building a home in Auburn and said he relished the opportunity to pitch so close to family and for a winning team with a rich pitching tradition. "The money was never that important," he said. Hudson wanted to get a deal done by the Tuesday deadline to avoid his contract status becoming a distraction as the season approached, something he'd seen happen with other players when he was in Oakland.

Hudson, whose .702 career winning percentage (92-39) trails only Pedro Martinez among active pitchers, was to make $6.75 million this season in the final year of the contract he signed with Oakland. It's not known if the expected new contract will supersede that salary this season. Asked when the deal would be announced, Hudson smiled and said, "I'll know something when you know something."

Signing Hudson would be another major step in assuring the Braves have a strong rotation for years to come. John Smoltz is signed through 2006, with a club option for 2007. The former Cy Young Award winner is returning to the rotation after 3 1/2 seasons as closer. Left-hander Mike Hampton is signed through 2008, John Thomson has a club option for 2006, and lefty Horacio Ramirez isn't eligible for arbitration until next winter. He won't become a free agent until after the 2008 season.

Awesome news. Hudson is a bonafide star in his prime. Keeping him around, at a very reasonable (under current market conditions) price makes sense.

Smoltz: 'It's like being 25 again'

Smoltz: 'It's like being 25 again'

The bald spot and booming voice are familiar, but there's something different about Braves pitcher John Smoltz. A week before another spring training, the 17-year veteran is brimming with a rookie's enthusiasm. His buzz isn't from the hyperbaric chamber Smoltz sometimes naps in. He's been on a crest of anticipation since Dec. 11, when the Braves traded for Milwaukee closer Dan Kolb and told Smoltz he's moving back to the starting rotation. "It's like being 25 again," Smoltz said Tuesday during Leo Mazzone's pitching camp at Turner Field. "I'm going to spring training with a lot to be excited about."

He's 37 and a four-time elbow surgery patient, including two procedures since he was last a regular starter in 1999. But Smoltz said he doesn't have the questions and concerns that fans and others do regarding his elbow and the rigors of pitching 200-plus innings. "I don't have any doubts," he said. "Zero doubts." He'll report to spring training in his best condition in years, after a winter of increased training uninterrupted by illness, injury or surgery rehabilitation. Smoltz increased his throwing, running and core-strengthening regimens to prepare for the move back to starting. He looks leaner and more muscular. "He's loaded for bear," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "John's on a very rigorous training program, always looking for ways to make himself stronger and better. That's his nature. "This guy wants to have every edge he can."

Before becoming a dominant closer and saving 144 games over the past three seasons, Smoltz was a stalwart member of Atlanta's elite starting rotations in the 1990s. He won 24 games and a Cy Young Award in 1996, and has a 159-115 record and 3.37 ERA in 361 career starts, along with his 12-4 mark and 2.60 ERA in 26 postseason starts. But now Smoltz, who turns 38 in May, is entering uncharted waters. No such accomplished pitcher has moved from starting to closing for an extended period, then back to starting. "It's an incredible challenge, and exciting to me to know I am going back to starting," he said. "It is what I like."

He could've become a free agent after this season, but instead signed a two-year, $20 million contract in December that runs through 2006, with a club option for 2007 both parties expect to be exercised. Instead of a $12 million salary and additional $100,000 per start he would've made this season under his old contract, Smoltz gets a $6 million straight salary and $8 million in '06, along with a $6 million signing bonus. His renegotiated, reduced salary enabled the Braves to fit Kolb into an $80 million payroll. After some wondered how Schuerholz would be able to rebuild the rotation on a budget, the GM was able to trade for both an All-Star closer and an ace, Hudson, while also making Smoltz happy. "Our general manager had a great luxury this offseason," Smoltz said, "by being able to get a starter or a closer. I didn't make any demands. I said I'd do either role. "People thought I demanded to be a starter. No, I didn't. "[But] I'm happy to be back in this role, because I think the mix is better. We do have a great closer. People might not see that right now, but he's going to be very good."

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FRESH START

John Smoltz is moving back to the Braves' starting rotation. He has a .213 opponents' average and 9.67 strikeouts per nine innings as a closer, and a .234 opponents' average and 7.99 strikeouts per nine innings as a starter. His career statistical breakdown:

Role ERA W L Sv Opp G GS IP ER HR BB K

Starter 3.37 159 115 0 0 361 361 2,439.1 914 199 779 2,118

Reliever 2.35 4 6 154 168 241 0 260.1 68 17 50 280

Total 3.27 163 121 154 168 602 361 2,699.2 982 216 829 2,398

I hope he makes it. He's been such a great asset for the team in both roles. He has been one of the two or three best closers in the game since moving to that spot, so I'm reluctant to see him start. On the other hand, it would be nice to have him starting in the postseason. He hasn't had many save opportunities in the postseason, since the team is usually behind in the late innings. I'd like to see that change.

Hampton's Knee Surgery

Hampton's knee surgery turns into big procedure

After struggling in the opening halves of his two seasons with the Braves, Mike Hampton could have an excuse if he stumbled out of the blocks again this year. But the left-hander doesn't foresee that happening after undergoing surgery on his left knee. His October procedure was more complicated than Hampton or his doctors anticipated. It was not just a mere cartilage cleanup, but a bone graft that entailed removing a wedge from one section of the knee to repair the damaged, weight-bearing area.

After numerous hours of rehabilitation and fluid-drainage sessions, Hampton started throwing two weeks ago off a mound he had installed at his home in Homosassa, Fla. "We're not there yet, but it's getting better," said Hampton, 32, who reported to Leo Mazzone's minicamp at Turner Field on Monday and threw for the pitching coach. "Last year it hurt just walking; it's definitely a lot better now than last year."

Hampton tore cartilage in his left knee during a Sept. 11 start vs. Montreal, but opted to delay surgery so he could keep pitching through the end of the regular season and playoffs. He allowed one run in 13 innings while winning his two regular-season starts after the the injury, then limited Houston hitters to two runs and a .174 batting average over 7 1/3 innings of one start and one relief appearance in the Braves' division series loss. If Atlanta had made it to the NL Championship Series, he would have started Game 1. "I told him he pitched so good with his sore knee, maybe he shouldn't get it fixed," joked Mazzone. "What he means to our rotation ... he's one of the top left-handers in the National League."

He's been that for Atlanta, but only after the All-Star break. Since being traded to the Braves in November 2002, Hampton is 9-13 with a 4.99 ERA in 33 starts before the break and 18-4 with a 3.00 ERA in 27 starts after the break. Last year he was 2-8 with a 5.55 ERA through 15 starts, then went 11-1 with a 3.02 ERA beginning July 4, including 3-0 with a 0.71 ERA in his last four regular-season starts. The two-half dichotomy is a recent development for Hampton — and a confounding one. Before coming to Atlanta his career record was 13 games over .500 (58-45) before the All-Star break and 12 games over .500 (48-36) after it.

Braves keep prospect Marte at third

Braves keep prospect Marte at third

The Braves reversed course and decided to keep top prospect Andy Marte at third base, setting up a potential dilemma a year from now: If Marte has a huge season at Class AAA Richmond, will the Braves keep him on the farm another year to keep Chipper Jones happy at third? Will they trade their top-rated prospect? Explore options with Jones?
"There's two things I've come to know," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said Tuesday. "No. 1, you can never have enough talented players, no matter what position they play; and No. 2, whatever log jam you think you have tends to work itself out because of attrition or trades or what have you."

Jones is under contract for 2005-06, with two $15 million vesting club options in 2007 and 2008, which can't be bought out if he reaches 450 plate appearances or is an All-Star the previous season. After playing nearly 2 1/2 seasons in left field, Jones moved back to his preferred third base last June and said he'd be reluctant to switch positions again if the Braves asked.

Marte, 21, hit .269 with 23 home runs in 387 at-bats last season at Class AA Greenville, and may need only one more season in the minors before he's ready to move into a big-league lineup. The Braves had planned to move him to the outfield, to clear a path to the majors. But they scrapped that plan after just two days of outfield instruction this winter in his native Dominican Republic. "The plan is to keep him at third base for this year," Schuerholz said. "We decided we'll keep him at third base because the most important thing for him is his bat, and to have him concerned with anything else didn't make sense. "His bat separates him from everybody, we think. We're going to allow him the chance to let his bat do its thing."

This decision will fuel speculation about the Braves' 2006 plans. Jones would be the highest-paid Brave at $17 million in '06, and has full no-trade protection. "I have about as much idea what's going to happen a year from now as anybody else — and that's no idea," Schuerholz said. "But that'll all take care of itself."

I hope Marte makes it to the Bigs and the Braves manage to keep him and Chipper. But I agree that it makes no sense to have Marte concentrating on learning a new defensive position. He can always move to the outfield once he makes the move up.

Chipper Willing to take Pay Cut to Help Keep Hudson

Hudson gives Braves March 1 deadline (AJC)

Braves newcomer Tim Hudson is so impressive, teammate Chipper Jones is ready to consider financial concessions to help keep the pitcher in Atlanta beyond 2005. "I know that call's coming - 'Hey, Chip, we need a little help here,' " Jones said Wednesday on the first day of Leo Mazzone's pitching camp at Turner Field.

Hudson's agent gave the Braves until March 1 to sign the Alabama native to an extension or expose him to free agency next winter, the same deadline he gave Oakland before the Athletics traded Hudson to Atlanta in December.

Braves general manager John Schuerholz said the deadline isn't a problem because, "It shouldn't take any more time than that to either decide we can or can't [re-sign him]."

If Hudson becomes a free agent, the New York Yankees would likely be among his suitors and he could expect to command between $50 million over four years and $65 million over five. Some believe his price tag could go even higher.

Hudson threw hard in an indoor batting cage on a cold, dreary day, wearing no ballcap on his shaved head. "I feel almost like a rookie again," he said. "It's great to be here. I just want to get my feet wet, meet everybody in the organization."

He was introduced to Jones, the Braves' highest paid player, who's owed $32 million over the next two seasons and has $15 million vesting clubs options in 2007 and 2008. He could restructure his contract to clear up funds for a Hudson offer.

"Maybe a little rebate so we can sign him," said Jones, the only non-catcher who showed up Wednesday, doing some hitting and pronouncing himself healthy.

"Whatever [it takes]," Jones said. "I'm game. I've made no bones about it - my family loves it here, and I love playing here. I've made sacrifices before, and I'm open to more if it'll help bring guys in or keep them. I want to win."

That's mighty decent of Chipper, especially since the Braves have never flinched at getting rid of a star player, no matter how loyal and popular, when he got too expensive to fit the budget.