Garret Anderson Signed

Written by Jonathan on February 22, 2009 – 4:37 pm

After a few weeks of us speculating as to how good of a fit Garret Anderson would be for the Braves, it looks like the deal has been made.  The Braves have reportedly finalized a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the free agent and expect for the announcement to be made tomorrow.  Anderson is en route to Florida to join the squad at Wide World of Sports for Spring Training.

Anderson will likely take on the clean-up role for the Braves, a position in the lineup that he’s quite familiar with.  He had a .293 average last season with 15 homers and 84 RBI; 14 of his 15 home runs came against right-handed pitching.  This may lend itself to the platoon in left field with Matt Diaz that Braves fans have become familiar with over the past couple of seasons.  Anderson has spent all 15 seasons of his career with the Angels.

He could provided some much needed pop to the Braves’ lineup with runners in scoring position, a spot that has struggled in the past.  Last season, he batted .338 with runners in scoring position and .356 in those situations with two outs.  These are the type of moments that make a difference in the one-run losses that Braves fans became brutally familiar with throughout 2008.

I’m still not 100% sure on this decision as just a couple days ago, the front office indicated that they would let the young talent give the outfield a shot, but the deal has been done and we’re ready to add some much needed power to the outfield.  Is it the right decision for the Braves at this point?  Let us know what you think.


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