ATLANTA, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Braves announced Friday they had signed free agent reliever Antonio Alfonseca to a one-year contract.
Alfonseca, 31, was 3-1 with a 5.83 ERA in 60 games for the Chicago Cubs in 2003. It was his second season in Chicago after spending his first five years with Florida, where he was a member of the 1997 World Series champions.
The righthander has a lifetime record of 23-30 with a 4.11 ERA and 121 saves in 400 appearances.
Atlanta is likely to lose ace Greg Maddux, who was not offered arbitration, and traded away Jason Marquis and their top prospect Adam Wainwright.
The Braves, who also saw setup man Roberto Hernandez sign with the rival Philadelphia Phillies, have added veteran arms like C.J. Nitkowski, John Thomson and Alfonseca in an attempt to compensate.
