The Braves met as planned with Jon Lester on Thursday, though it wasn’t known if progress was made toward signing the left-hander who’s among the three best starting pitchers on the free-agent market.
They didn’t make an offer during the afternoon lunch and meeting with Lester and his agent, but the Braves’ revamped and aggressive front office heads laid out the plans and goals for the team as it goes through a transition period aimed at being a consistent championship contender by the time they move into a new ballpark in 2017.
Braves president of baseball operations John Hart has said they didn’t plan to pursue “top tier” free-agent starters this winter because of finances and other team needs. Lester, James Shields and Max Scherzer are rated the top three.
Lester, who’ll turn 31 in January, went 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts in 219 2/3 innings for Boston and Oakland, including a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts after being traded to the Athletics.
He has a 116-67 record and 3.58 ERA in nine seasons, all with Boston before the trade. In seven full seasons, the three-time All-Star won at least 15 games six times, pitched at least 200 innings six times and posted 220 or more strikeouts three times.
With Lester’s longtime former team Boston and the suddenly ready-to-spend Chicago Cubs in pursuit of the lefty along with possibly St. Louis and others, the Red Sox’s reported initial offer of $110-120 million over six years could be just a starting point in a bidding war. At this point, it’s probably still a longshot for the Braves.
Still, there’s a reason the Braves can be players in this if they choose: Lester, his wife and two young boys live near Peachtree City. Spending time with family is a priority for Lester, a cancer survivor diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma during his 2006 rookie year. Just over a year later he won a clinching game in the 2007 World Series.
Because he was traded to Oakland at midseason, Lester wasn’t eligible for a qualifying offer and thus won’t cost a draft pick for any team that signs him. That’s big for the Braves, who don’t want to forfeit any draft picks as they rebuild their team and restock their minor league system.
Venters, Pena DFA'd: The Braves designated for assignment left-hander Jonny Venters and veteran utility man Ramiro Pena, and added seven minor leaguers to their 40-man roster, including top second-base prospect Jose Peraza.
The DFA move likely signals the end of the Braves careers of Venters and Pena.
A workhorse and one of baseball’s most dominant relievers in first two seasons, Venters, 29, posted a 2.23 ERA in 230 relief appearances in three seasons through 2012, with 258 strikeouts in 229 2/3 innings. But he hasn’t pitched in a game since, and is expected to miss another entire season recovering from his third Tommy John elbow surgery.
Pena, 29, struggled in 2014 after coming back from shoulder surgery that cut short his career-best 2013 season. After hitting .278 with a .330 OBP and .773 OPS in 107 plate appearances that year, he batted .245 with a .304 and .651 OPS in 165 PAs in 2014. He was projected to get $900,000 in arbitration.
The Braves also added to the roster third-base prospect Kyle Kubitza, lefty Yean Carlos Gil and right-handers Tyrell Jenkins, Williams Perez, Mauricio Cabrera and Brandon Cunniff. Thursday was a deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
Peraza, 20, is projected was the Braves’ second baseman and leadoff man in the future, possibly as early as 2015. He hit .339 with a .364 OBP, 11 triples and 60 steals in 110 games between high-A Lynchburg and Double-A Mississippi in 2014.
Spring-training dates set: Braves pitchers and catchers report to spring training Feb. 20, and the team opens its Grapefruit League schedule March 4 with a home game against the Mets.
Other Braves position players report Feb. 25, and the first full-squad workout is Feb. 26. Spring training and the regular season are starting about one week later in 2015, with the Braves opening April 6 at Miami.
Tickets for spring-training games go on sale Dec. 1 at the Wide World of Sports box office, braves.com, and Ticketmaster.
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