Braves ready to acquire Thomson

Herew goes one of KW's Startin Pitcher targets,

The Braves, poised to make their first significant off-season addition, are closing in on an agreement with free-agent right-hander John Thomson.

The deal, believed to be in the two-year, $7 million range, could be announced as soon as Tuesday. Thomson, 30, would replace departed free agent Greg Maddux, joining a rotation that includes Russ Ortiz, Mike Hampton and Horacio Ramirez.

The addition of Thomson likely would end the possibility of free-agent righthander Kevin Millwood returning to Atlanta. The Braves traded Millwood to Philadelphia last season when they did not want to pay him a salary of nearly $10 million, and their view of Millwood as a middle-of-the-rotation starter hasn't changed.

Millwood's best option might be to accept arbitration from the Phillies, pitch for a salary of at least $11 million next season, then re-enter the market. The White Sox, however, are among the clubs that could pursue him; they reportedly are on the verge of losing Bartolo Colon to the Angels.

The Rangers, who have attempted to retain Thomson with a reported two-year, $6.5 million offer, offered him salary arbitration Sunday night with the goal of continuing negotiations. But Thomson would benefit from leaving the Rangers, a last-place team that plays in one of the worst pitcher's parks in the majors, for the perennially strong Braves, who play in the more friendly pitching environment of Turner Field.

Thomson finished 13-14 with a 4.85 ERA last season, but several major-league executives believe he is on the verge of a career breakthrough. He went 9-5 with a 3.89 ERA in his last 18 starts, finishing with career-highs in games started (35), innings pitched (217) and strikeouts (136). He also ranked 11th in the American League in strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Thomson obviously isn't as accomplished a pitcher as Maddux, but the Braves would expect him to pitch deeper into games at a salary that almost certainly will be more than $10 million less than the $14.75 million that Maddux earned last season.

The Braves also need to replace the offense they will lose with departed free agents Gary Sheffield and Javy Lopez, and the Twins' signing of outfielder Shannon Stewart to a three-year, $18 million contract Sunday night could lead them to trade outfielder Jacque Jones.

The other area the Braves want to address is eighth-inning relief. They are one of several teams pursuing free-agent righthander Tim Worrell, the former Giants' closer who could serve as a setup man for John Smoltz.