Braves introduce newest reliever Will Smith at press conference

Of the list of guys that were on the free agent market this offseason, lefty reliever Will Smith may have started the offseason as the one that most would have considered the least likely to end up in a Braves uniform. The team has shied away from giving expensive free agent deals to relievers in the past, the team has also been extremely reluctant to part with draft picks to sign any free agent, and Smith seemed to be a guy that was among the more likely to just sign his qualifying offer and not be a free agent at all.

However, that is not what happened at all. The Braves did, in fact, sign the best reliever on the free agent market to a three year deal that convinced him to forgo signing his lucrative QO with the Giants. Originally from Newnan, GA, Smith returns to his original stomping grounds in Georgia after a season that saw him post a 2.76 ERA, 3.23 FIP, and 13.22 K/9 in 63 appearances for San Francisco last season.

Smith signed his three year, $39 million deal (with a club option for a fourth year) back on 11/14, but this afternoon was the press conference that introduced him to the Atlanta media and fans alike. Below is a link to the press conference which you can watch live (and it should be archived in that same tweet so you can come back and watch it later if you missed it as it was happening).