The Braves did not take long to find a new closer.
Billy Wagner could solve the Braves' closer situation. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
The team reached preliminary agreement Tuesday with free-agent left-hander Billy Wagner on a one-year, $7 million contract with a vesting option for a second season, according to a major-league source.
The deal will become official once Wagner passes a physical, which he will take in Atlanta on Wednesday. The vesting option, worth $6.5 million, will become guaranteed if Wagner finishes 50 games next season.
His return to closing with the Braves would give him a chance to earn the 40 saves he needs to pass John Franco for the all-time record among left-handed pitchers.
The Red Sox offered salary arbitration Tuesday to Wagner, a Type A free agent. If Wagner passes his physical, the Sox will receive the Braves' first-round pick next season — the 20th overall — plus a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds. Their selection from the Braves could drop to a second rounder if Atlanta signs a higher-ranking Type A free agent, but that is unlikely.
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