According to CBS Sports baseball writer Jon Heyman, Jim Johnson has signed a one year contract with the Atlanta Braves for 1.6 million guaranteed along with 900K in possible incentives. The former all-star is coming off a nightmare of a year in which he posted a 7.09 ERA in 54 games between both the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics. This all took place after back to back seasons in which he saved over 50 games with an ERA below 3.00 while with the Orioles.
Prior to 2014 he had been traded to the A's from Baltimore in exchange for middle infielder Jemile Weeks who is now a member of the Boston Red Sox and catcher David Freitas. The 6'6 RHP had gone into the 2014 season as the A's closer but shortly lost the job after multiple poor appearances to start the year. He would eventually be released by the A's on August 1st and was signed five days later by the Tigers where he continued to struggle for the most part until the end of the season.
Now with Johnson being in Atlanta he will have the opportunity to work with pitching coach Roger McDowell who has a superb past while working with sinker ball pitchers and could possibly help him recover his once all-star caliber form. If that hope can become a reality the Braves could end up having one of most shut down bullpens in all of baseball this season, or at the least being a valuable trade chip when the trade deadline comes around.
Either way this deal is only for one year and at a relatively cheap salary so even if it things don't workout the Braves really won't be hurt in anyway long term. It's worth a chance to give the guy a shot, the Braves have needs in their bullpen and when Johnson is right they've been few who have been as dominant as him dating back to 2012 even when including this past season.