The Atlanta Braves are continuing to mortgage for their future as they have re-signed third baseman Chris Johnson to a multi-year contract. The deal is worth $23 million over three years with a $10 million team option.
Coming to Atlanta as a 'throw in' as apart of the big Justin Upton/Martin Prado trade, Johnson has created regret in the minds of the Arizona Diamondbacks' front office.
Last year, his first season with the Braves, Johnson almost had himself a National League batting title. He played in 142 while hitting with a .321 batting average, a .358 on-base percentage, a .457 slugging percentage, and a .815 OPS. Johnson also knocked 12 dingers, posted 165 hits, scored 54 runs, and batted in 68 RBIs.
"It's pretty cool," Johnson said with a wide smile. "Without the dollar figure or anything, just hearing them say they want to have me around for three years after this, that is pretty cool in itself."
Even with the amazing season last year, that does not necessarily mean that he's due for another big outing in 2014 and general manager Frank Wren seems to understand that.
"Maybe he's not going to hit .320. But we've always felt he was somewhere in the .280 to .300 range as a hitter," Wren said. "His career will tell you that. As we go forward, we believe that is the kind of player he can be, in that [.280 to .300] range and hit 10 to 15 home runs, drive in 70 and play solid third base."
Third base is one of the toughest positions on the baseball diamond, so when you have someone like a Chris Johnson (who is a better batter than defender, but can still come up with jaw-dropping plays), you can't let them leave your ballclub. The Braves made sure they would not be used as an example of what not to do in a situation like that.
"I think the deal made sense for both sides as we looked at it," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "He was looking for stability and we were looking to have a solid player at a tough position to man.
Johnson vows to continue to work as hard as he always has because it is a complete team effort to get to the so-called 'promise land' that is the World Series (which the Braves haven't made an appearance at since 1999).
"I'm not going to stop working just because of this," Johnson said. "I'm not that kind of guy to get comfortable and just show up every day and go through the motions. I'm going to keep working hard and try to get better every single day and try to win as many games as possible until we win a World Series."
Coming to Atlanta as a 'throw in' as apart of the big Justin Upton/Martin Prado trade, Johnson has created regret in the minds of the Arizona Diamondbacks' front office.
Last year, his first season with the Braves, Johnson almost had himself a National League batting title. He played in 142 while hitting with a .321 batting average, a .358 on-base percentage, a .457 slugging percentage, and a .815 OPS. Johnson also knocked 12 dingers, posted 165 hits, scored 54 runs, and batted in 68 RBIs.
"It's pretty cool," Johnson said with a wide smile. "Without the dollar figure or anything, just hearing them say they want to have me around for three years after this, that is pretty cool in itself."
Even with the amazing season last year, that does not necessarily mean that he's due for another big outing in 2014 and general manager Frank Wren seems to understand that.
"Maybe he's not going to hit .320. But we've always felt he was somewhere in the .280 to .300 range as a hitter," Wren said. "His career will tell you that. As we go forward, we believe that is the kind of player he can be, in that [.280 to .300] range and hit 10 to 15 home runs, drive in 70 and play solid third base."
Third base is one of the toughest positions on the baseball diamond, so when you have someone like a Chris Johnson (who is a better batter than defender, but can still come up with jaw-dropping plays), you can't let them leave your ballclub. The Braves made sure they would not be used as an example of what not to do in a situation like that.
"I think the deal made sense for both sides as we looked at it," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "He was looking for stability and we were looking to have a solid player at a tough position to man.
Johnson vows to continue to work as hard as he always has because it is a complete team effort to get to the so-called 'promise land' that is the World Series (which the Braves haven't made an appearance at since 1999).
"I'm not going to stop working just because of this," Johnson said. "I'm not that kind of guy to get comfortable and just show up every day and go through the motions. I'm going to keep working hard and try to get better every single day and try to win as many games as possible until we win a World Series."