Braves.Today.Com

By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — With the final out of the World Series Wednesday night, the offseason began in earnest.

Of course, the first biggest move comes the day after the Fall Classic ends, when players who have concluded their contracts can file for free agency. Three members of the Atlanta Braves fit into that category, and while this promises to be an offseason marked by change, Atlanta’s brass would be smart to examine bringing back at least two and perhaps all three Bravos who filed on Thursday.

Left-handed relief specialist Will Ohman, pinch-hitter Greg Norton and right-handed reliever Julian Tavarez announced their intentions to test the open market.

Ohman has made it clear he would love to return to Atlanta. After struggling in home games at Wrigley Field, the lefty viewed the Cubs’ trade of him to Atlanta at last fall’s Winter Meetings as a chance to start fresh. Before tiring from overuse late in the season, Ohman was the one stable portion of a shaky bullpen. He set a career high with 83 appearances, finishing 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA.

Norton, signed as a free agent after Seattle released him in late April, proved to be a valuable fill-in at both left field and first base. But his biggest strength was coming off the bench, as he was among the National League’s best pinch hitters. Norton finished with a .246 average, seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 111 games.

Tavarez was signed in July and pitched at Richmond before being promoted to fill a spot in the bullpen. The former closer finished with 36 appearances and a 3.89 ERA. At times, his fastball was sharp and when he could control his breaking ball, the 35-year-old was pretty effective.

Signing Ohman won’t be easy, simply because the market for a left-handed specialist is sky-high. But knowing how much Ohman enjoyed his time in Atlanta, I wouldn’t rule out him signing with the team for less than he would receive on the open market. Norton would be a nice bat to have off the bench. Tavarez is more of a question mark because of his age, but he showed enough during the final three months that it would be worth bringing him to spring training and giving him a shot to make the 25-man roster.

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