21 January 2006
| SP | John Smoltz | 8,000,000 |
| SP | John Thomson | 4,750,000 |
| SP | Tim Hudson | 4,000,000 |
| SP | Horacio Ramirez | 2,200,000 |
| SP | Jorge Sosa | 2,200,000 |
| RP | Chris Reitsma | 2,750,000 |
| RP | Oscar Villarreal | 462,500 |
| RP | ? | 327,000 |
| RP | ? | 327,000 |
| RP | ? | 327,000 |
| RP | ? | 327,000 |
| RP | ? | 327,000 |
| C | Brian McCann | 327,000 |
| C | Todd Pratt | 850,000 |
| 1B | Adam LaRoche | 500,000 |
| 2B | Marcus Giles | 3,850,000 |
| 3B | Chipper Jones | 11,000,000 |
| SS | Edgar Renteria | 6,000,000 |
| IF | Wilson Betemit | 327,000 |
| IF | Pete Orr | 327,000 |
| OF | Andruw Jones | 13,000,000 |
| OF | Jeff Francouer | 327,000 |
| OF | Kelly Johnson | 327,000 |
| OF | Ryan Langerhans | 327,000 |
| (?) | ? | 327,000 |
The Braves and pitcher Jorge Sosa avoided arbitration and agreed to a $2.2M, one-year contract Saturday, which will increase to $2.25M if Sosa pitches 205 innings (he pitched 134 last year). Sosa was the last of the Braves' arbitration-eligible players, none of whom actually relied on an impartial arbitrator to settle their 2006 salaries.
This brings the Braves 2006 payroll, counting Hampton's and Renteria's salaries only partially (the portions paid by the Braves), to right at $66M. (Friends from alt.sports.baseball.atlanta-braves estimate that the Braves will only pay about $3M of Hampton's contract; insurance will cover the rest.) A more accurate number will be available when the final numbers for all 26 roster spots, including Hampton's on the DL, are known. For now, the estimated actual payroll is about $66M, while the official payroll for luxury tax purposes is right at $80M. The bullpen If the question marks confuse you, they should. At this point, there are at least five unfilled bullpen spots, and a sixth if Bobby Cox chooses to go with 13 pitchers for a couple of weeks as he has in recent years (but I suspect a backup first-baseman could make the roster instead). Relievers vying for those 5-6 bullpen spots include: Jose Ascanio, Brad Baker, Jeff Bennett, Blaine Boyer, Lance Cormier, Kyle Davies, Joey Devine, John Foster, Chuck James, Anthony Lerew, and Macay McBride. The three names I've emphasized in bold type are those who I believe are most likely to be in the majors on opening day. The Bench Betemit's and Orr's roster spots are not guaranteed, and perhaps Johnson's isn't either. Other players on the Braves' 40-man roster vying for a shot at the majors include: catcher Brayan Peña (not likely); infielders Luis Hernandez, James Jurries, Tony Peña, Martin Prado, and Scott Thorman; and outfielders Josh Burrus and Matt Diaz. Plus, there are 14 non-roster players who also will be competing for roster spots.| < Prev | Next > |
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