The 38-year-old Wagner will be Atlanta’s closer for the 2010 baseball season. Last year, he played 17 games with the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. He finished with an ERA of 1.72 and in 15.2 innings of work he gave up only eight hits wile striking out 26 batters.

For the 2009 baseball season, the Braves used Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez at closer. With both currently free agents, the move to sign Wagner means that both players will likely sign elsewhere.

This move comes with a bit of risk since Wagner had Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2008 season. If he reinjures his elbow, the Braves will be in a world of hurt.

According to multiple reports, the Braves hold a $6.5 million option for the 2011 season. Wagner will be owed $250,000 if the Braves decline the option.

Billy Wagner will be the Atlanta Braves closer (Image: Zuma Press)

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Monday’s win came against the Florida Marlins. Winners by a final score of 4-0, the Braves got five strong innings out of starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens. Jurrjens went seven innings and gave up only five hits and one walk to improve his record to 14-10 and lower his ERA to 2.61.

At the plate, Chipper Jones went 1-for-2 with two walks and a solo home run. It was only Jones’ second home run in the month of September, as the hitting star has been slowed by injuries.

While the Braves don’t have much time to close the gap in the 2009 NL Wild Card race, the good news is that they play the Washington Nationals in four of their final six games. The Rockies, on the other hand, still have to face the Los Angeles Dodgers three more times.

Jair Jurrjens - Atlanta Braves (Image: Zuma Press)

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The 68-year-old Cox admitted that age played a big role in this announcement.

Said Cox: “There is a little bit of relief once you come to grips with announcing it. I’ve never lost the love to manage, period. But you have to make a decision. At my age, you have to make a decision. Somebody a little younger can start up.”

Cox first managed the Braves starting in 1978 until 1981. After managing the Toronto Blue Jays, he returned to Atlanta in 1990 — and he’s been the manager ever since. A win on Wednesday gave him 2,409 wins during his regular season career.

The 4-time winner of the Manager of the Year award, Cox led the Braves to the 1995 World Series championship. The Braves didn’t announce who will replace Cox as manager after the 2010 campaign.

Bobby Cox - Atlanta Braves (Image: Zuma Press)

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Leading the way for the Phillies was slugging first baseman Ryan Howard. In the fourth inning, Howard hit a two-run blast. In the sixth, he followed up his previous at-bat with a solo home run. Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco also hit homers for the Phillies.

The win gave the Phillies an 8-game lead over the Florida Marlins and an 8.5-game lead over the Braves in the NL East. From August 25th through September 7th, Philadelphia had lost eight of 13 games and the team failed to score more than four runs in any of those contests.

With the 2009 baseball playoffs right around the corner, the Phillies seem to be heating up at exactly the right time.

Ryan Howard is going for another World Series title (Image: Zuma Press)

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In the second inning, Howard connected on his 29th home run of the year. His 30th homer of the year came in the sixth when he hit a three-run blast. Happ, the rookie starting pitcher, did the rest.

In 7.2 innings of work, Happ gave up only three hits and one earned run as his improved his record to 9-2 and his ERA to 2.66. The 26-year-old lefty has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the national league this season. When combined with Cole Hamels and trade deadline acquisition Cliff Lee, the Phillies trio is one of the best pitching trios in the league right now.

For the Braves, their only run was courtesy of a home run by Matt Diaz. Despite the loss, the Braves are still only 3.5 games back in the NL Wild Card chase.

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Maddux pitched with the Braves from 1993 until 2003. Both before and after his stint with the Braves, Maddux pitched for the Chicago Cubs. In his final two seasons, he pitched for the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For his career, Maddux had a record of 355-227 and an ERA of 3.16. He pitched more than 5,000 innings in his career, which began in 1986. Arguably the best season of his career came in 1995 when he went 19-2 with a microscopic 1.63 ERA.

Bobby Cox, who coached Maddux during his stint in Atlanta, had a few simple answers to sum up how good a pitcher Maddux was during his career.

Said Cox: “I get asked by managers and press people all the time, how good was he? Was he the best pitcher I ever saw? Was he the smartest pitcher I ever saw? Was he the best competitor I ever saw? Was he the best teammate I ever saw?”

“The answer is yes to all the above.”

Here is the video of Greg Maddux getting his Atlanta Braves jersey retired:

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But now at 25, Francoeur has struggled for the last year and a half. On Friday, the Braves decided to go in a new direction. They traded Francoeur to the New York Mets for Ryan Church.

On the season, Francoeur is hitting .250 with five homers, 35 RBIs and 32 runs. After hitting 29 homers in 2006, his power numbers have dropped considerably. In 2007, he hit 19 homers. In 2008, it dropped to 11 home runs.

Church, like Francoeur, hasn’t lived up to expectations this season. The 30-year-old is hitting .280 with two homers, 22 RBIs and 26 runs. Considering that he has 12 homers, 49 RBIs and 54 runs last year in only 90 games, much more was expected from him this season.

With the Braves (41-44) and the Mets (40-45) both struggling in the NL East, this trade was made in hopes of adding a spark to their lineups before it is too late.

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After a bitter breakup with the Braves, the 42-year-old Smoltz ended up signing with the Red Sox as a free agent. Coming back from a shoulder injury, Smoltz has been working all offseason and all regular season to get to this point.

Said Smoltz: “This is not the old or the new or the done. It’s just a new chapter in which when I have a baseball in my hand, I feel like I can make a pitch and do the things I have to do to take the sting out of the bat. And if that’s the case, we’ll progress and keep getting better every time out. But tomorrow is just one rung in the ladder to try and climb as far as I can to see how good I can be, and really at the end of the day to be in position to pitch in the playoffs.”

The playoffs look like a very good possibility for the Red Sox right now. With a record of 44-27, Boston has a five games lead in the AL East over both the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Smoltz believes that his return to the mound will leave Red Sox fans happy.

“It will be a success,” proclaimed Smoltz.

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The left-hander has a sore left shoulder that was operated on over the offseason. At 43, Glavine says he would rather retire than be forced to go through another complete rehab. His plan at the moment is to rest for two weeks and then see how his shoulder responds to the time off.

Prior to this season, the Atlanta Braves gave Glavine a $1 million contract that included many incentives. Last season, injuries held him to 13 appearances in which he had a 5.54 ERA and a record of 2-4.

Glavine’s career record is 305-203 to go along with a 3.54 ERA. The best season in his career was arguably in 1998 when he was 20-6 with an ERA of 2.47.

The Braves are currently 5-2 and sit in second place in the National League East.

Tom Glavine won his 300th game while with the Mets (Image: Flickr)

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Originally, the Braves wanted Ken Griffey Jr., however those talks ended after Griffey decided to sign with the Mariners. Compared to Griffey, Anderson offers similar upside with similar risks.

After being one of the best sluggers in the business, Anderson has slipped in the last handful of years. He hasn’t hit twenty homers or knocked in 100 RBIs since 2003. Last season, Anderson hit .293 with 15 homers and 84 RBI.

The contract Anderson signed with the Braves is rumored to be worth approximately $2.5 million. Performance bonuses are also thought to be included in the deal.

At 36, this may be the final stop in Anderson’s career. The Braves hope that he can find his power once again and add a little bit more production to their outfield.

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