Spurned by the Braves, whose offers lagged behind the other bidders, Tom Glavine exacted revenge by signing with the division rival Mets. Of course the Phillies, his other alternative, also share the NL East, but the rivalry between New York and Atlanta has much more emotion in it.

Glavine agreed to a three-year, $34M contract with New York on Friday, which reportedly includes a vesting option for a fourth season with an innings pitched trigger that could make the deal worth $42.5M. As with most of the recently completed deals, he needs to pass a physical before the contract is official, but those physicals are primarily formalities.

Like Thome, the 36-year-old Glavine felt his former team didn't really want him to return, though the Braves version of negotiations certainly portrays them in a better light. Given his likely future performance as a pitcher, Atlanta probably made the right move in not extending themselves the extra few million. Despite the standing belief that lefties can sustain extended starting careers more easily than right-handers, there are no guarantees that the Mets will receive their money's worth. Although his performance this past season had people whispering of the Cy Young at various points of the year, his strikeout rate has been slipping and he hasn't countered with an improved walk rate.

Turner Field played as a better pitchers' park last season than Shea, and Glavine's H/9 should look quite interesting with the downgrade from the Braves' defense, which ranked second in the league, to the Mets, who were only marginally above average. Even if Glavine's skills slip to the point where he should end up as a lefty reliever in his option year, he'll continue to start in his quest for 300 wins.

GM Steve Phillips seems to have a weakness for collecting lefty starters akin to Reds' GM Jim Bowden's predilection for outfielders, although Phillips moved several of the lefties he amassed last off-season. In July, Al Leiter signed two-year, $18M extension, including salaries of $8M in both 2003 and 2004, as well as a $2M buyout of a $10M mutual option for 2005. Leiter is six months older than Glavine, so the Mets can watch the two can grow old together, though Leiter is a power pitcher and Glavine relies on finesse. Leiter's deal seems much more likely to work out to the Mets' advantage. Glavine gives New York little additional legitimacy as a contender, and the Mets definitely need to make several additional moves to form the well-structured club necessary to compete in a suddenly balanced division.

However, Glavine's value to Atlanta extended beyond his pitching, as the Braves second round draft pick in 1984 really embodied their image prior to this off-season. Greg Maddux has proven he's not into giving incumbent teams discounts, and he seemed the more likely of the two to depart going into the off-season. Consequently, Atlanta will very possibly lose both pitchers, which either could send them into a youth movement in another year or into perpetual veteran mediocrity and a stretch that might make Atlanta residents respect the first round of the playoffs again.

Glavine was attracted to the Mets by manager Art Howe, and their pick-up of the Phillies' cast off pitching coach Verne Ruhle was also likely a plus, though Glavine didn't seem to dislike Philadelphia replacement Joe Kerrigan. The higher profile of the Big Apple also appealed to him in aiding his Hall of Fame bid, while New York apparently better fit his family needs.

Having lost out on the third member of their desired free agent trio, the Phillies will continue down their list of preferred veteran pitchers until they find someone willing to sign. Jamie Moyer is a possibility, though bidding for him appears intense. As I've said before, I believe they'll be much better situated if they wind up landing Greg Maddux to tutor their young righties.

Meanwhile another aging southpaw left the Braves to sign with Chicago earlier in the week. The Cubs signed Mike Remlinger to a three-year, $10.65M contract on Monday. He'll reportedly receive a $1M signing bonus, $2.3M in 2003, $3.55M in 2004, and $3.8M in 2005. The deal also includes a partial no-trade clause.

Chicago had the payroll flexibility to hand out a large contract like this to a left-handed reliever, and Remlinger's admittedly been one of the best in the game for the last few years, so I don't believe the Cubs' offer was substantially above market value. Remlinger should perform well for Chicago and has the dominance to emerge as their closer if they don't acquire an alternative. Reportedly, his contract even includes a six-figure bonus if he assumes the closer role.

However, I rarely give blanket approval for spending money simply because it is available, and paying for left-handed relief always seems lazy. Fortunately for the Cubs, I'm much more confident in Remlinger's ability to sustain his performance in relief than I am of the similarly aged Tom Glavine sustaining his success as a starter, but once a pitcher reaches 36, his age automatically becomes a risk factor. As one of the top five relievers in baseball over the last four years, Remlinger definitely strengthens the Cubs' pen, but by the end of the deal, they'll likely be happy to have the payroll space returned.