Braves Sign All-Star Reliever Will Smith to Multi-Year Contract in Huge Move for Bullpen

The Atlanta Braves are being aggressive in the early going of MLB free agency and they just made a crucial move to help shore up their largely shaky bullpen.

On Thursday, the team announced it signed All-Star reliever Will Smith to a three-year contract. The left-hander has been among the best in the league the last two seasons and was a hot commodity at the trade deadline before the Giants let teams know they weren't going to be selling.

#Braves Sign LHP Will Smith: pic.twitter.com/vXAfty3nAq
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 14, 2019

That's a handsome contract for Smith, who finished last season 6-0 with a 2.76 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 96 strikeouts and 34 saves in 63 games (65.1 innings). That earned him an All-Star nod and he'll bring a much-needed veteran presence to an inconsistent cast of Braves relievers.

Why'd this happen so quickly? Turns out Smith's agent used Thursday's qualifying offer deadline as a negotiating tactic, and the Braves bit.

Will Smith’s agent, Jeff Berry of CAA, effectively used the qualifying offer as leverage, telling interested teams he wanted a deal by today’s deadline or Smith would accept the one-year, $17.8M offer from #SFGiants. In the end, the #Braves bit.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 14, 2019

Atlanta did impressive work during last year's trade deadline and acquired Tigers close Shane Greene, Giants reliever Mark Melancon and Rangers reliever Chris Martin, but it took a little while for the new unit to mesh. Assuming they've gotten it together, adding Smith to the mix is going to make this one of the most feared bullpens in baseball.

Big move by the Atlanta Braves, who sign the best reliever on the market, left-hander Will Smith, to a three-year, $40M deal. While Atlanta announced it at 3/39, there is a $1M buyout on a fourth-year club option.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 14, 2019

Braves fans, it looks like your team is serious about making that World Series run in 2020. The NL East champs are ready to pick up where they left off.