We knew about this more than two weeks ago, but Troy Glaus has finally taken (and passed) his physical and is officially a member of the Atlanta Braves. He will wear #25, and there will be a press conference this afternoon to introduce him.
Talking Chop is on the record as liking this signing quite a bit. Yes, he's coming off of surgery, but this is a low risk, high upside signing of a player who should be versatile enough to easily make the switch from third to first. He bridges the gap to the young prospect Freddie Freeman, giving him a full season in the minors to develop, and provides a power presence in the middle of the lineup to protect Chipper Jones.
My mind keeps coming back to the transition that Jim Thome made from third base to first base, and while that happened much earlier in Thome's career, he made the transition effortlessly and didn't lose a step offensively.
[UPDATE 4:30pm]
David O'Brien tweets what the deal is worth:
Glaus base sal is $1.75 million, with $250,000 roster bonus at 100 gms and up to $2 mill more tied to PAs.
So if he's healthy and plays all season he could potentially earn a max of $4 million. Still, not bad at all, and of course we hope he's healthy and mashing.
[UPDATE 8:00pm]
More details on the contract incentives from Buster Olney:
$350,000 for 400 PA; $350,000 for 450 PA; $350,000 for 500 PA; $400,000 for 550 PA: $550,000 for 600 Plate Appearances
Very generous team contract. Good job by Wren's team.