Former Balitmore Orioles outfieder and lead-off hitter Nick Markakis is now getting ready to move his life. He has signed a four-year deal with the Atlanta Braves.
The general consensus on Nick Markakis' future was pretty set in stone as we entered the baseball offseason. Because the 31-year old had spent his entire major league career in Balitmore, and considering how his manager, Buck Showalter, and owner, Peter Angelos, felt about him, everybody thought he'd be resigning with Baltimore.
However, just like many of these hot-stove deals turn out, another team swooped in to change the discussion. The Braves got their man with a four-year deal to the tune of roughly $44 million, according to CBS Sports. The Orioles had reportedly been offering a contract in the neighborhood of $40 since negotiations began.
The mid-November trade of outfielder Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals is what opened up right-field for the Braves. Now, they'll most likely look to trade the power hitting Justin Upton or Evan Gattis, as they're now a little too full at the corner outfield spot. It seems to be a complete organizational overhaul that Atlanta is committing to.
For the 2014 season with Baltimore, Markakis hit 14 homeruns with 50 runs batted in. he also scored 80 runs, batted .276 and sported a .342 on base percentage which makes him a very stable lead-off hitter, notes Baseball Reference.