Braves Sign Lowe to 4 Year Deal

Only time will tell if signing Derek Lowe will pay off in the long term, but in the short term the signing is already paying dividends.  Many fans (and players I imagine) have wondered how serious the Braves about winning now?  The answer is: serious.  They mean business.  Not that we’d expect anything less from a team being coached by Bobby Cox, but brining Lowe in, and spending the money it took to bring him in, shows that this is the case.

Smoltz to Sign with Red Sox – Atlanta Fans Stunned, Sad and Mad

The news that John Smoltz will sign with the Boston Red Sox for the 2009 season was meet with shock and sadness by Braves’ fans across the country.  Those feelings of sadness quickly turned to anger as we all realized that the player who has been a Brave for as long as some of us has been fans will be leaving the team.

How could this have happened?

Everyone is asking that question right now.  Here is some of the reaction to the news from across the Braves’ blogesphere:

• Talking Chop – But Still
• Braves Blast – Dear Frank: Keep Smoltz
• Braves Journal – This is Just Wrong

Players are starting to sound off on the deal as well.  Here is a link to Chipper’s comments:

• AJC.com – Chipper Not Happy

It’s hard for me to believe that this is a good thing for the Braves.   We’ll see how it works out, but John Smoltz is worth whatever money it would have taken to keep him in Atlanta.

Tom Glavine Throws Without Discomfort

It has been a while since we last posted here at BravesBaseballFan.com.  We’ve been following all the moves this winter and have been waiting for something significant to happen to inspire a post.  Needless to say, there hasn’t been a lot of moves this winter, just a lot of talk.  With all the talk about the Braves acquiring an ace pitcher this winter, there is a former Braves ace who is making progress with his rehabilitation.

Read More: Glavine throwing without discomfort from mlb.com.