Hello from rainy Atlanta!
Rambling around the ‘net today, I picked up on an interesting tidbit: apparently some of the “big boys” must be reading TomahawkTake! Yep, several of them are now reporting that Billy Wagner is not retired. One even noticed that he’s still on the 40 man roster!
You regulars will remember that I’ve reported that on numerous occasions, and even wrote
a feature on the fact (read it here).
While I’m being a bit facetious about this, I can honestly sit here and wonder why it’s taken so long for the mainstream media to pick up on this. If Wagner does decide to pitch another year, the Braves have the makings of an incredible late-innings bullpen. Heck, they might not even have room for Sherrill.
One source did say that there was a $250,000 buyout clause that would allow Wagner to try his hand at free agency, perhaps looking to pitch closer to home in Washington, D.C. or Baltimore. Personally, I can’t see Wagner giving up a guaranteed $6.5 million and even more significantly at this stage in his career a shot at the World Series, when Atlanta’s only an hour away by plane.
Unless Wagner is keeping really busy on his farm, and unless the Braves have no other talent worthy of a spot on the 40 man roster, it seems to me that this has gone on too long to be meaningless. I personally think Wagner is seriously considering a return, which would precipitate a whole series of maneuvers by the Braves. But what do you think?
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