Posted at 4:33 p.m., Thursday, January 17, 2008
Kauai, UH-Hilo alum Yates agrees to terms with Braves
Associated Press
ATLANTA — Relief pitcher Tyler Yates agreed to a 1-year, $800,000, deal with the Atlanta Braves, the team announced today.Yates, a Kaua'i High and University of Hawai'i-Hilo alum, made $412,500 last season for the Braves. He was 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA and two saves.
He was one of four Braves players coming to terms rather than going through arbitration.
First baseman Mark Teixeira agreed to a $12.5 million, one-year contract.
Teixeira, who added power to the Braves lineup after being acquired from Texas just before the trade deadline, received a big raise over the $9 million he made last season.
He batted .317 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs with Atlanta. Overall, Teixeira had 30 homers, 105 RBIs and hit .306.
The more difficult negotiations with the slugger and agent Scott Boras will come after this season, when Teixeira is eligible for free agency.
The Braves also agreed to deals with reliever Mike Gonzalez and infielder Omar Infante.
Gonzalez reached a deal for $2,362,500, basically the same salary he played for last season ($2.35 million). The left-hander pitched in only 18 games in 2007, going 2-0 with two saves and a 1.59 ERA before season-ending elbow surgery. He isn't expected to return until around the All-Star break.
Infante, acquired from the Chicago Cubs during the winter meetings to bolster Atlanta's infield depth, will play for $1.4 million this season, a raise of $100,000.
Two other Braves filing for arbitration have yet to agree on deals: reliever Rafael Soriano and outfielder Matt Diaz.
