Atlanta Braves Executive Vice President and General Manager Frank Wren announced today that the Braves have agreed to terms with infielder/outfielder Scott Spiezio on a minor league contract for the 2008 season. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. Spiezio will begin the season with Triple-A Richmond, which opens play on Thursday (April 3) against Rochester.

The Atlanta Braves claimed switch-hitting infielder Ruben Gotay off waivers from the New York Mets today. He will be on the team?s Opening Day 25-man roster. In an additional transaction, the Braves asked for waivers on first baseman Scott Thorman who then cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Richmond. Gotay, 25, played in 98 games for the Mets in 2007 and had a .295 batting average with four home runs and 24 runs batted in. He excelled against right-handed pitching, batting .318 with four home runs and 22 RBI and hit .288 (15-for-52) as a pinch hitter. Gotay was also clutch in ?Close & Late? situations, hitting .349 (15-for-43).

John Patterson has agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. Patterson was released by the Nationals last week. "It's a comfortable fit, and I'm looking to getting out there and getting going," said Patterson.

The Cardinals secured the long-term services of Adam Wainwright on Thursday, agreeing to terms on a new four-year contract, as reported by Yahoo.com. The deal runs through Wainwright?s remaining arbitration years and also includes club options for 2012 and 2013. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the contract has a base value of $15M. RealGM Note: Wainwright had a season FIC of 193, ranking him 35th amongst all MLB starters in 2007. He 'deserved' to make $9 million, giving him a Reina Value of +2,095%. Click here for more information about the Field Impact Counter and the Reina Value

The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced they have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Ian Snell on a five year contract, the first three guaranteed with club options for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The announcement was made by Neal Huntington, the Pirates Senior Vice President and General Manager. Snell led the club in ERA (3.76), strikeouts (177) and innings pitched (208.0) during the 2007 campaign while making a team-high 32 starts in his second full season in the major leagues. He also averaged 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 2007, which ranked 10th among all National League pitchers. "We are pleased to have reached agreement on a contract with Ian Snell that gives us the ability to keep him in a Pirates uniform at least through the 2012 season. Ian's performance over the past two seasons ranks him among the best young starting pitchers in the game and he will play a crucial role in our success," said Huntington. "This is another example of the organization?s commitment to build a championship caliber club. Retaining talented young players developed in our system will help us achieve our goal of brining championships back to Pittsburgh," said Huntington.

Kyle Lohse passed his physical on Friday and has officially become a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, according to the Associated Press. He was signed to help fill the gaps left by several injured Cardinal pitchers. "If it were a perfect world, we wouldn't have had to go down this path," General Manager John Mozeliak said. "But it's not, and we're going to need someone to pitch every fifth day."

The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to terms with starting pitcher Kyle Lohse on a one-year deal worth $4.2 million, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. The deal will become official on Friday once Lohse passes a mandatory physical examination. "He has a good arm. I've always felt that," Duncan said. "I think I need to do a little bit of analysis on his style and see if there's something there that he might work on to improve his success. But there's physically something there to work with. We'll see how it goes. We're happy to have him."

The Cleveland Indians released, then re-signed pitcher Juan Lara on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Lara was critically injured in a car accident in the Dominican Republic last November. He has been dropped from the team's 40-man roster, but the Indians will pay his 2008 salary in order to help cover his medical expenses. "We're fully supportive of Juan and want to make sure we do everything we can to help him return to a normal life," assistant GM Chris Antonetti said. "He's part of our family. "We wanted to make sure there is no interruption in his care and treatment," Antonetti added.

The Rangers on Sunday signed righthander Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract, as reported by Yahoo.com. While it?s just a minor league deal, it would be difficult to see Ponson making any type of impact with the Rangers. He went 2-5 with a 6.93 ERA in seven starts for the Twins last season.

The Red Sox and closer Jonathan Papelbon agreed Thursday to a $775,000, one-year contract, nearly doubling his salary, according to an Associated Press report. Papelbon was among 18 Red Sox players who agreed to one-year deals, putting Boston's entire 40-man roster under contract. Papelbon earned $425,550 last season, when he had 37 saves in 40 opportunities and a 1.85 ERA, then saved three of the four World Series games against the Rockies. He hoped to get a multiyear deal but had no leverage. He said he wanted to set a salary standard for future outstanding closers.